


Unspoken

by elerielina



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Comfort, Eventual Smut, Memory Loss, Multi, Not all relationships are love interest, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Destiny 1, Romance, Survival, Trauma, lots of swearing, slightly non-canonical
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-09-25 21:38:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17129186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elerielina/pseuds/elerielina
Summary: "Every story is true if you tell it right.What I can tell you pal, is that what I'm 'bout to tell may not be known yet, or there're many versions of it.But, I can assure you, whatever y'hear or understand of all this, there’re will always be only two options: Tell it, or do it well.Otherwise, it’s better remains untold."





	1. Chapter 1

It started with an explosion in the middle of the night.

The precarious shed built with pieces of rusted steel and iron ruined by time quivered, shaking the dust accumulated through the cracks, falling on the heads of those who, startled, woke up in the darkness while trying to understand with the only perception of their ears what was going on out there. The blaze from the nearby bonfires leaked through a few holes, illuminating their faces, expressing the uncertainty of not knowing _now_ what calamity was unleashing out there.

The muffled whispers of the crowd mingled with the whimpers of few others, accompanied by the jingling of the chains in every nervous movement they made when approached to the walls trying to spy on the outside.

Screams and gunshots multiplied out there. Desperate and furious indications of their owners filled the silence in the middle of the pitch-black night, and a few of them, became frightening screams and distressed calls for help by the time passed, followed by brief and unbearable silences.

As the seconds passed, endless and overwhelming, anxiety and fear escalated dominating the overcrowded warehouse.

The explosions became closer and more consecutive. The cries of horror outside too.

“We need to escape!” A terrified whisper was heard among them, “They're all gonna die! They’ll kill us too--!”

And then, the air froze inside their lungs.

Even in the darkness, the expressions of fear were infected in every single one of them, acknowledging, at last, _what_ was coming.

That shriek, sharp and primitive — _a battle cry_ —, pierced the night with the icy shrillness of Death.

Immediately, chaos engulfed the entire camp.

Screams and shots everywhere, unleashed hysteria and disorganization, equaling the primitive instinct of what was increasingly heard more clearly approaching unstoppable as the scourge of a plague.

The mob inside the warehouse turned mad, and those closer to the walls started to howl terrified for help against the precarious walls, clashing in despair with their hands the chains that restrained them. Terror alienated them completely.

They were going to die there. _Everyone_ was going to die.

They shouted, screamed in terror, pushed themselves or trampled one another, whilst trying to release from the shackles that also restricted them by the ankles.

“Get us the fuck out of here!” Someone cried.

The terrified supplications multiplied against the gaps of the thin walls, wrapped in howls of horror at the approach of Death, increasing the panic that, by then, had already taken complete control of the place and it was spreading in the settlement like a virus. To the desperate cries of the men who controlled the place, they were joined now by the rest of the inhabitants of the camp who fled in horror leaving their cabins and tents.

Through the cracks could be seen the silhouette of people running by, escaping, increasing the anxiety of those who, inside the precarious shed were chained, were crying out for their lives.

Continuous explosions on the edges of the settlement began to illuminate the scene, revealing the faces in which terror had perpetuated the expression of anguish and the instinct of self-preservation that had completely nullified any rational human notion, showing, in addition, the true nature of our condition of living beings. It was survival what control them all right now. It was all that matters.

The screaming and chaos outside annulled the ears with the effectiveness of a white noise, and all she could distinguish now were the wild beats of her own heart that kicked against her thoracic cavity and pulsed against her eardrums, pumping blood and adrenaline into her veins while with an iron wire, she was trying to force the lock of the chains that grasped someone from his hands and feet.

“Hurry the fuck up!” A haggard dirty old man yelled with dread, shaking his left wrist as she worked over the keyhole. There were two back and forth moves with a tense but consistent pulse, and finally, under her watchful gaze, the heavy shackles fell noisily on the dusty floor. “Feet! C’mon, **_faster_ _!!_** ” He demanded with growing despair.

When the rest of them acknowledged what she was doing, they began to crowd around her, putting their wrists or ankles before her and demanding the same work. And as she noticed it, she began to feel her phalanges ache, and the applied energy threatened to summit her fingers to numbness.

The demand to get rid of the chains was starting to become more virulent among them as the explosions were already replicated within the camp, and against the clock, she repeated the same movements, applying different pressure in each one of the locks.

Sweat ran down her back, arms, and forehead; her jaw, locked and making her ache every muscle of her neck and face. Her complete attention was in every lock that appeared before her in the gloomy place, barely illuminated at times by the explosions spreading outside; she even paid attention to those who were already free, but sure thing was that nobody would wait for anyone, and the cries of those who hadn’t noticed what she was doing didn’t matter either. _Survive_ : **_that_** _matters_.

A nearby explosion rattled the structure again, and the beams wavered above their heads. The mob howled in horror.

“It’ll crushes us!!” The voice of a terrified woman caused everyone to despair even more and started to scream.

She didn’t mind. Her nerves were in every keyhole that appeared before her eyes.

She was free a while ago.

 _Someone has to make a difference_ , she heard someone say long ago. That poor bastard was already dead for sure.

It never mattered to her, because doing it could mean her own doom. If you don’t survive, what’s the whole point?

Every day was about to survive and avoid death, even when some damn beggar died right before her eyes crying out for mercy. Even if he deserved to die or not.

If you care, it’d be possible you die, and with it, who you were trying to protect.

But _not_ today.

Today was an exception.

The only one of the new batches of merchandise that had arrived didn’t reach the 10 years of age. His cheeks were dirty and wet from the tears of despair; his eyes, huge and dark, pleading. He only needed to say it once. _I'm scared_ , she heard him sob, and that old saying from that long-doomed fool hitted her mind making her snap.

With a thunderous stomp then, the shed’s door was kicked open making everyone scream in fear. A man from the village appeared with unsteady pace; kinetic shotgun in his hands, and his face disfigured with anxiety and dread. He scrutinized each one of them, hesitant and contemplating the fate of those who were left by their own, surely to die alone like the animals they think they’re; those, who ragged, dirty and malnourished, for a few seconds, appreciated that man in the same way as someone appreciates what is divine. They cried then, begging for their freedom to this unlikely savior.

Fire contrasted the silhouette of this man she identified as part of the militarized group in the settlement, one of their smugglers. But the more she observed him, clearer she could see it: he was bathed in blood, and the dirt of the desert was impregnated all over his body.

It was a disturbing realization: there was a slaughter out there.

Immediately, he started to shoot at the chains of whoever it was near, alarming the rest only for a moment and then exhorted them to stand up and run the hell out of there.

“Leave! _NOW!_ ” He bellowed, shaking his grown beard with the movement of his jaw as he continued firing to the chains.

 _He's dead_ , she thought. _We’re all dead!_

People began to scream and run around her while this man free them, and regaining the notion of her surroundings while the gunshots deafen her, instinct finally gripped on her once more as many times before.

She threw away the wire, hitched up the hopeless child in floods of tears and began to run for their lives like the rest.

The moment she crossed the doorstep, her nostrils were filled with the odor of blood mixed with gunpowder and dirt, causing her overwhelming fear. The nauseating stench product of the butchery injected more adrenaline in her body.

She paralyzed for a few seconds, looking around the whole place turned a mayhem of people running for their lives to The Flats and away from the hills, and finally, she reacted and started to run with the horrified child in her arms. _She needed to escape_.

Her ears buzzed as her breath escaped of her chest while she was fleeing with all her might. She could hardly pay attention to her surroundings while her badly shod feet pushed against the dusty ground. Fire was the only way to distinguish the dread hidden in the shadows.

Between the deafness and the panic, those howls were the only thing that pierced the numbness that was beginning to saturate her eardrums product of hysteria.

They were much more while the seconds passed.

They were surrounded by those beasts.

The little boy clung onto her while he was crying helplessly. She could feel her thighs hurt from the effort of running. People who she couldn’t identify pass by her escaping, paying little attention or even giving her any help. The explosions became more violent and consecutive, and where shrapnel shots were heard before, now were replaced by an unmistakable and distinctive noise and its light: _Arc weapons_.

The horde that was striding down the hill began to suppress the little resistance. Every shot that hit the ground blow up the place in a ferocious explosion. They fell from above like a thousand strikes of deathly light.

There was no time to take shelter or hide.

Passing a crossroads between tents and another shed, the desperate warning of a stranger trying to escape bellowed from behind with a sense of dread. But it was already too late.

“ ** _INCOMING!_** ”

She was hit by the impact of the explosion several steps away, throwing both the child and her with another poor wretches against a near barricade. She lost the strength of her arms, and the boy slipped from her grip.

Everything went dark for a second.

The deafness and the lack of orientation only allowed her to perceive her own heartbeat. She blinked several times trying to get focus on what was going on around her. The lack of stability made her those same times lean her forehead against the ground, impregnating her whole face with dust and dirt, causing her to spit and cough the sour and dry taste of her mouth every time she breathed. Everything was spinning violently around her. She didn’t have the strength or the balance to stand up. Almost nothing was audible aside the screaming and the explosions, and the sensitivity to the light made her notice that she was still stunned.

Groping for, she searched around with difficulty with her hands, scratching the soil and getting more and more desperate when she couldn’t find who was then the focus of her concern.

She managed to stand up with the little strength she achieved, staggering and panting, only to discover how someone lifted the unconscious small child she was protecting and carried it away in his arms.

She shouted to him, desperate in a futile attempt to try to stop him, stumbling several times as she tried to chase him. She needed to reach him. She wouldn’t die in vain.

The bursts of light multiplied across the blackness of the sky, landing violently on the structures to kill everyone in the area. Those weapons, which she knew, were no match for the scant and rudimentary armament that their traffickers handled; those weapons were going to erase them to oblivion.

Those creatures were lethal and came by night, when their presence symbolized with overwhelming dread to any creature, human or not, that they won’t reach the dawn.

Even so, she wasn’t going to die. _Not today_.

She recovered slowly her strength and ran desperately towards the raptor. She wasn’t going to leave him with any of those men, nobody was worth of trust. That child wouldn’t be safe with anyone, except with her. _She knew it_.

She was about to reach him when different detonations shook the area again. She kept running, covering her head but not looking away from her target.

As she passed by a second crossroads, directly towards the desert plains, she could hear hundreds of cries of complete terror ahead. A large group of people emerged from the shadows and ran in the opposite way, yelling at them with alarm that _that_ route was no longer safe. They ran like hell passing beside her and making her stop suddenly and paralyzing in place. The heart in her throat and the cold of terror running down her spine.

And then, she saw _them_.

They appeared through the flames several meters ahead from where the terrified multitude had retreated, like a Wrath, and began to slaughter with a killing blow whatever came across their path with their long arms and huge swords.

Those shrieks materialized right before them, and with a single deafening unison, they cried out for more blood in a final assault.

Another explosion burst the air in that way, and the terrified mass of people who tried to escape to The Flats began to back away scared to death, stepping on each other to save their own asses.

There was nowhere to escape. They came from the front too.

They were _all_ dead.

Paralyzed by that horrific vision while her whole body was trembling with terror, at the next second, she tried to follow the trail of the child's abductor among the frightened crowd, realizing with fear that he wasn’t there anymore.

Her throat was knotted and her vocal folds sore for cry out, the fear became irrepressible crushing her chest. She had failed, she’d die!

Another explosion burst behind her, and she was certain that the first wave of the horde would appear around at any second. She could hear the swords of that demons tearing apart the flesh of whoever cross their path and the shots of the weapons carbonizing everyone near.

There was no time, she needed to escape. _Not today!_ it was the only thing that throbbed in her head against all odds.

Screaming in terror, the few around her began to run with the only instinct of survival. She backed up a few steps before turning and running back the way she had come along, while the anguish and helplessness for loose that poor child tried to paralyze her.

It mattered once. It would be her death if _now_ , it mattered too much.

She had regained her strength, and her instincts allowed her to recover her balance quickly. She accelerated, until something caught her attention in the desperation to escape.

Something _unexpected_.

Shooting, and the bewildered screams of the horde of beasts.

She pivoted puzzled, recognizing the detonations by its brightness and sound. Pulse weapons, energetic type, kinetic weapons too, and flux grenades.

 _Someone else_ was out there.

She hesitated for a second but trying that it not mattered too much. Now, she needed to escape.

The counteroffensive, whoever they are, was approaching from The Flats, same territory from where these creatures wanted to cornered them; It’d seem that they wanted to do the same. She kept running despite that, her chest burning with an uncontrolled heartbeat.

She went around the corner of an old structure, and suddenly, a lost disturbed cry put her on alert.

Before the scared people, who came from the sides and some frontwards, could stop or even notice it, she braked on her tracks, sliding and falling noisily on her back at the same exact time that one of those ghoulish beasts jumped off from a ledge, cutting off their escape with a terrifying shriek. It was massive, grotesque and wild, with multiple eyes glowing with spectral light as she could achieved to see. It howled with ferocity before its new preys.

Although, falling on her back saved her.

In a single lethal blow, with its sword already drenched in unknown blood, that thing it split in half other two who couldn’t avoid it while they were trying to escape.

She barely was able to keep her shit together and started to scream in horror at the repulsive feeling all over her skin. Blood and flesh were everywhere, bathing her whole body in the blood of complete strangers. She scratched terrified the bloody mud where she was laying, recoiling in a desperate impulse to get up and run away for her life.

When she managed to get up, she turned to the right along with other people who stumble upon in horror and witnessed the bloodshed. There was a path hidden in the darkness that lead to an abandoned mine and a salvage yard. That was her only chance to make it.

She didn’t want to look back. Death was chasing her.

The beastly howl of that creature was on her heels, firing over her head and over the few people who were running like hell a few steps before her, causing several structures to threaten to collapse in their way and crush them.

What a sadistic and perverse display that beast seemed to have, that it didn’t even care to spare them the suffering and die from a clean shot, but the agony of being torn and crushed by a collapse.

The road began to turn into a labyrinth with several small passages, and the small group that fled started to spread as they run through it.

She didn’t hesitate, and as soon as she could, on the run, dodging and jumping debris as they fell, turned to the nearest passage. It was narrow than the other, and it was impossible for that beast to get through it, even from above. She was certain of lost it and only turned _once_ to look back.

It wasn’t so.

That beast jumped using the impulse of its powerful legs over the steel beams that crossed over the narrow passage, howling and claiming for blood, trying several times to shoot through the spaces that the steel bars showed.

She accelerated with all her strength screaming in horror, and as she fled, the passage grew darker with brief flashes of the explosions from the settlement and the tremors of those same violent burst shaking the place.

The small alley led first to the junkyard. The only glow that it was there was from the fire scattered in the distance that could cast some dim light in the area and the bright of the explosions of the unexpected counteroffensive that had begun to eradicate the horde of creatures of the night.

As she escaped, above her, the structure that covered the passage had disappeared, and what it lay before her was an open field of piles of twisted and rusted scrap of metal. She could hear its howls and strides against the rafters from behind.

All the muscles of her body were on fire, her lungs were lit, and her heart was pumping out of control. There was another passage a few meters away that went off to the side of the hill, and it was her only chance to survive. She needed to get to that passage, or it was over.

The squeak of the iron structures was heard to give in while the creature's howl was plowing through the air. She didn’t dare to look back, it was just behind, above her.

She was going to die.

A pulse of energy shot went through the air in a gust of golden light.

It was followed by several gunshots that hit the creature in the air, throwing it against several steel skeletons because of the impact, causing it to writhe in spasms of wrathful pain while it was trying to get back on its feet. It roared louder, angered and bewildered. Someone had snatched its prey.

She tripped over, falling loudly onto her knees while trying to slow her pace, shocked for not understand what was going on now.

A sudden light appeared pointing at her and began to float forward, blinding her sight and approaching with constant speed. She tried to stand up, blinded and puzzled, but she fell again on her back backing up in desperation, using her arms and legs to try to get away from another potential hostile.

“Hey!” An alarmed voice was heard. An odd voice.

It didn’t matter. She needed to flee; what was before her wasn’t human and it was clear and couldn’t consider it inoffensive.

In the moment she achieves to get up and turn around, she sees the creature under the blinding light, making her stifle a horrified cry of terror and stumbling backwards. It was massive with four arms, heavy armored with a hideous mask covering its head and patches of fur hanging over its cape and around its neck. It threw another furious shriek as it wielded the red-tinged blades with two of its arms, and a heavy assault weapon on its others.

Bleeding but still energetic, it charged against the light with a venomous rage at the same time she screamed and threw herself aside backtracking crawling afterwards.

A fleeting silhouette appeared in the path of that light, dodging the gunshots of the weapon of that creature first, quick and accurate; running at full speed against the huge body and pointing the light at the beast while avoiding gracefully the mortal blows and attacking with his own gun.

And then, dimness.

It was a blurry movement against the gloom light of the mayhem that was happening downhill.

A jumping shadow first, a flicker light later, three gunshots and the sound of a slash tearing the flesh at the soft spot of the heavy armor with sharp precision.

Scared, she couldn’t process anything that was happened, and coming back to her senses, managed to get up and run away.

“Wait!” That voice sounded more frightened than before, and the light appeared again behind her and pointing at her direction to where she was running.

Without the slightest doubt, she brake on her steps just to take a slab from the ground throwing it to whoever it was, knowing she might hit the target but causing the light to dodge it.

“WOW, nice shot! But why was that?!” It was heard with bafflement. That voice was sounding less human by seconds passed, and whatever it was, it was trying insistently to approach her.

While she escaped, she could easily listen the accelerated pace of this unexpected menace running after her, noticing too late then while kept running that this wasn’t the right passage. She mislead it!

The entrance to the mine had several fallen beams that crossed the tunnel, she get through it by jumping above and ducking, feeling that her new pursuer was even more persistent than the previous one. The light that was chasing her made easier the escape at moments, lighting up the treacherous path ahead, only difficult when the angles of the bright made the shadows dance.

“Hey, pretty one! Don’t go in there! it's dangerous! **_Stop_ _!_** " This voice sounded like a man, and as more as they ran through the mine, the more this stranger sounded distressed.

 _“She's in shock! She won’t listen to us!”_ Another voice, female, soft and shy and equally distressed but notoriously more synthetic than the other was heard from behind. She panicked at the possibility of two pursuers and speed up.

“Oh, but of course she won’t! Seriously, would'ya stop running to ask ‘ _hey, you gonna kill me or not’_?” The sarcastic tone was confusing, even though feeling it a threat while she was dodging obstacles. “HEY! _You must stop running!_ Ain't safe there!” The attention was directed towards her again, she could feel it.

And then, the light behind her seemed to increase its brightness and, for her surprise, like if it having its own will and apparently its own plans to manage the situation, it overtook whatever it was accompanying it, increasing its speed, cutting her escape in a swift move and blinding her all at once, directing its beam of light and causing her to stumble on her tracks.

She covered her eyes because brightness was hurting her eyes. Scared and screaming, in a desperate attempt to defend herself, she slapped the air trying to connect a hit, and failing.

She was surrounded, frightened and gasping for air.

The haste steps were heard closer and closer, getting slow as this new thread approached her. Each step was measured and cautious, but constant.

She turned to face it, and all she could see in the glow of the narrow corridor was the figure of what appeared to be a man emerging from the shadows: hooded in worn dark gray cloths and cape, with light leather equipment and light armor. A gun case with its gun in it was holstered in the small of his back, and a knife on the left side of his waist.

But she looked twice then with a sense of dread, discovering something else when she sharpened her sight. _It wasn’t look like a human_.

Its eyes shone in bright teal blue light and, as its voice betrayed it, its features showed the synthetic work of men. It was a mechanical being with the shape of a human.

She started to shudder in panic at the fact of being trapped and helpless without nothing to defend herself with, she began slowly to step back against the wall’s tunnel, clutching her fingers against the walled stonewalls in search of anything to use as a weapon.

“OK, I'm not _that_ creepy. There's no need to look at me like that, but I need you to calm down and come with me _right now._ ” It was speaking to her in a carefree but amenable tone that only make her more frightened at the sight of its modulator lighting up in bright golden light, showing what, with the glow of that floating light that still blind her and the light of its own vocal chords, she could interpret as its jawbone imitating the facial movement of speech.

The hands where she could see it to identify itself as an inoffensive being, it was studying her carefully for any aggressive reactions. It wasn’t going to let her get away.

She could feel a knot in her throat and the physical exhaustion that began to play against her. She began to slide warily against the wall in the direction that she came, while the light in front of her was floating with tentative moves and examined her every movement. She spied briefly what it was, not being able to understand what kind of being could be, only discovering same similarities with the individual that spoke to her and presented itself as friend. It was small like a ball with pointed blades, and it moved them in short and tense movements before the situation. Its only bright eye looking at her with same carefulness.

“Are we cool then? There’s no need to keep running. I killed that bastard, but it's not safe for us to stay here, y’hear me? We need to get the hell out of here ‘cause this could collapse in any second,” It spoke. The voice modulator lit up each time it emitted a sound, illuminated the features of its face in a way that was frightening her.

With a sudden tremor, the whole mine quivered shaking the dust between the wood of the walls with a growling eco of the explosions in the distance, making her despair and choke an anguish whine. Immediately, she looked back at this individual that with watchful and concerned gaze examined every corner of the tunnel while dust was suspended on the air.

“See now? I told ya is dangerous, so-- if you just listen to me, kid… I can get both of us safe,” It insisted looking back at her with attentiveness.

She didn’t answer, still shocked by its presence, and starting to get upset the more she listened to it and insisted on blocking her escape.

Whatever it was, it noticed her attitude, and gesturing and shaking its head in frustration tried to continue to persuade her.

“Look, I don’t wanna to take it the wrong way, but it's just _very_ rude to stare at people like that! Even though, well-- I'm not exactly what you’d consider a _‘person’_ so to speak, but huh-- Nevermind!” It shrugged, taking care of any sudden movement and still trying to sound casual.

She doesn’t even care. Irritated and bathed in her own sweat, mixed with the stench of blood and mud, and her eyes full of tears, she hid her hands behind her back crawling discreetly her fingers against the wall, searching for something to use, something sharp. She found nothing.

She noted that this being had a tentative move to make an approach, barely sliding its left foot towards her.

“We cool?” It asked. She perceived that the tone of its voice was becoming tense but concern now, and still with its hands up, another small tentative step narrowed the space between them, frightened her even more.

Her breathing was constrictive and not very disguised because of the fear. It was the only thing that it was been heard in the passage as well as the mechanical movements of this peculiar light emitting device that illuminated her.

Another light drags of the boots of what was cornering her was listened again in the tense silence of the tunnel, making her stress even more, perceiving the attempts to narrow the distance at last as new tremors echoed through the corridor. She could see in the gloom, its bright pupils examining her with heed.

And then, the noise of an incoming radio signal ripped through the air, alarming them both.

 _“Cayde?! Where the hell are you! Answer, over!_ ”

She saw it startle and look at the small device with a sense of reprehension. It was all what she needed to run away again, this time, to the exit.

She didn’t give it time to react that she used all the strength she still had, but her rate pace faded unlike minutes ago, making her stumble while jumping obstacles. She was exhausted.

“I thought we were cool!” It yelled frustrated at her from behind starting to chase her again.

She spied above her shoulder to see if she had any chance to lose it, and almost instantly, she heard it screamed at her with fright, “WATCH YOUR STEPS!!”

She turned then, and because of the movement of the light that chased her and the lack of perspective, she didn’t saw a beam blocking her path, making her stumble and hitting her head with a loud thud against a rock.

The impact stunned her, making her fall to the ground with a dull sound.

The stabbing pain was making everything turn hazy, and she could feel her whole head burning. She was starting to lose consciousness, listening barely the hurried footsteps of its pursuer approaching and the light that accompanied it blinding her fully again.

She blinked confused a couple of times trying to stay focus, whining and trying to throw useless slaps to defend herself. The silhouette of that individual knelt beside her and started to call her, shaking her by the shoulders with urgency and snapping anxiously its fingers in front of her face. “Hey, girl! _Hey!_ Don’t you dare to fall asleep! Look at me, _look-at_ _-me_! _Eyes on me_!! Do you hear me?! _HEY!!_ ” Its worried voice was getting distant every time she tried to fight the stupor.

And then, the only thing she could see or hear around was the brightness and the noisy chatter of the radio transmission.

Her body started to feel heavy and without strength, sensing barely being lifted later; then came the smooth touch of leather, the smell of gunpowder and earthy scent, some muffled angry swearing, and lastly the cold against the skin of her exposed arms and legs before everything went silent.


	2. Chapter 2

The sensations were returning little by little. 

The first thing that she felt was the brush of her skin against the rudimentary wool of a blanket, then her body moving heavily inside some sheets and the sensation of being laying down, and finally, the smell of dust mixed with alcohol and disinfectant started to wake her up. 

She tried to move her head, discovering a sharp pain that caused her to choke an anguish moan that seemed to trigger moves around her that she couldn’t identify. The motion of her arms was still clumsy and bring her hands to her forehead only caused her more pain. She felt with all her fingers the contour of her head; it was bandaged, and the tips of her fingers felt slightly wet when she touched her left side. 

She blinked starting to feel anxious, bright burned in her retinas causing her to squeeze her eyelids in a symptom of discomfort. She needed to see her hands at the feeling of moisture, because her instincts were telling her that was her own blood what she was feeling. 

“Easy, dear...”, A gentle whispering female voice approached taking her wrists hesitantly and freighting her. “You banged your head really hard. You need to stay still and rest”, Insisted. 

She heard water run off about three times as she slowly moved her head on both sides before try to open her eyes again.  

Turning to her left, she managed to focus her sight, less and less blurry by the seconds passed, founding the long pale face of a woman right beside where she was laying; hazel eyes and a tired expression greeted her with a gentle smile. She looked thin; her frame, hard to tell because of the loose gray shirt and cargo-pants she was wearing, talked about a woman that was barely slim than her, although a lot shorter. She could tell because of how little she perceived the distance between both it felt; motherly eyes with the apprehension of letting go a hurted child. 

“That's it, slowly. Don’t make sudden movements and it won’t hurt. You must get used to it carefully”, She explained as she tried to bring a wet cloth to her lips. 

Distrustfully, she startled at the beginning, taking the wrist of the unknown woman with some firmness, but as soon as she gave in, the humidity of the cloth caused the avid need to suck and collect the liquid it contained. 

“Easy. You're dehydrated, just a few drops at the beginning”, She explained with a little more joviality in the exhausted tone of her voice. 

“Water. Please ...” She pleaded in a murmur, licking her lips and gripping with poor strength the wrist of the woman.  

She could feel her throat sore and dry, and her skin felt tight while her mouth salivated at the expectation of more liquid. Her voice was a sorrowful lament asking to please give her what she desperately wanted, and when she achieved to look at that woman with more attention, all she saw was her examining her for a moment, recognizing in that woman’s eyes the gaze of someone who has sorrow and feel sad about something. She looked closely and realized that this woman was looking the wrist with which she was holding her arm. 

There was thoughtfulness in woman’s expression, and she couldn’t understand why. All she just looked was a scar on her left wrist. 

There was a brief silence when she let go the woman’s arm and saw her trying to focus on something else. Then, the woman spoke. “I need to examine your head first. I think one of the stiches could be open”, She saw her simulate a smile, depositing the rag inside of a basin with water, and then turning walking a few steps away to a near table in which she heard the brief screech of metal. 

That sound made her feel a dreadful sensation as she gathered the little strength she had to rose up half of her body with her elbows in the need to look what was on the table, just to end complaining as she felt her head dizzy and beating like a drum. 

“Oh! Please, be still! Doing any effort in this state could be worse for you. Lay down and rest”, The woman asked again with gentle tone, just looking at her once while she was putting some thin gloves like silk. She saw her made her way to her again, sitting in the same stool she was when she woke up, realizing for the look in which that woman was looking at her that she wasn’t having any reservation on her distrust.  

“I can see you don’t trust me. But still, you don’t need to worry about. I'm not going to hurt you, dear. You’re safe here.”  

She looked at the girl in the cot and sighed gesturing a kind smile at the apprehensive expression on the girl’s face; dark gray expressive eyes followed each one of her movements with uneasiness, and every sound looked new and terrifying for her. She was not going to listen to her,  _of course she wouldn’t_ ; as she remained with the weight of her thin body on her elbows, from time to time, examining with suspicion the place where she was, she tried to measure every one of her moves to prevent scare her. 

An old warehouse the girl realized,  _a very old one_. Something that stirred her stomach with restlessness.  

Huge and with several walkways on the opposite wall where the tent was staked, or what appeared to be an impromptu medical care room, was barely covered with old scraps of disused tens above steel structures. The shed of the complete warehouse could be seen between the spaces that the pieces of fabric allowed to show and the improvised screens surrounded the cot where she was lying down; there was another cot on the opposite side of the table next to her cot, a steel table was a few steps behind the woman, and several standing lamps stood at each one of the corners of the improvised place. 

She could hear the rumble of people out there in what she could recognize as if they’re working and giving instructions in which, it could appear as an ordinary day. It couldn’t see too much, but behind the strips of the thick fabric huge long steel boxes were piled up, making the access to the medical tent kind of protected, only allowing spontaneous currents of breeze to pass through the open spaces. 

“You were lucky when they brought you here,” She heard the woman talk to her. “You’ve really got a good bump in your head, you know; We had to stitched you a little. You were injured and bleeding because of the hit,” She mentioned while pouring disinfectant on a clean cloth under her watchful eye. “They told me that you tried to escape when they try to rescued you, and when you didn’t make it trying to dodge a beam while you were running away, you fall over,” She saw the woman turn her gaze to her and keep talking. “You have strength! Despite your... general condition. The man who was trying to get you into safety almost can’t reach you! And that’s… _something._ ” She said amused with a smirk. 

She blinked in confusion as she tried to collect her thoughts, frowning and squeezing her lips as she tried to get sit better on the precarious cot and still feeling her body and head hurt. She made a mental effort while feeling the huge bandage that surrounded the contour of her skull, trying several times to make something come to her mind, but nothing that woman said seemed familiar. 

She distracted herself just for a few minutes, trying to pay attention at her current state. She was wearing an old T-shirt with long sleeves, not her size but larger enough to cover from torso to hips, the smell of disinfectant and evident signs of have had better days was all that could describe that piece of cloth. Then, at the sensation of feel her body with both her hands while she inspected the touch of cloth and feeling nothing but what she was wearing, she started to panic, touching every corner of herself including her private parts just to be certain, revolving in the uneasiness feeling at the discover of being helpless and naked under an unfamiliar gaze in an unknown and growing menacing place. 

“Oh, honey, I'm so sorry ...” The woman's distressed voice was heard. She returned an anxious distrustful look at her, perceiving concern at the sign of being understand what she was considering at the finding and why she looked panicked. “I had to dump it all. Let's say ... it was beyond repair ...”  

Her nerves were climbing her stomach and her pulse accelerating, the heat of embarrassment blushing her ears, face and the rest of her body. 

“Why--! What happened!” Escaped from her lips in a stifled concerned exclamation. 

The woman reclined her head slightly to one side and narrowed her eyes, confused. 

“When they found you, you were an utter mess. I had to clean you up to confirm that you didn’t have any other severe injuries, apart from bruises and cuts.” 

She didn’t understand and started to desperate try to recall anything that could help her to remember and find an explanation while inspecting the heel of her hands, seeing what it looked like little scars, and then taking her head over the bandage, beginning to despair. Why she can’t recall anything!?  

Then, reacting, she shook the blanket off her legs anxiously, discovering with shock several scratches and bruises all over her legs as far as she could see and just as she was told. 

Something terrible bad happened to her, and becoming aware of this, she forced herself to remember, but at the end, nothing came. 

The woman left all she was doing and approached her with carefulness, trying to calm her down. “It's okay, it's okay...” She whispered, seeking her gaze as she took her hands and pushed them away from her head. “I know, dear... It’s a lot to process…”. 

She crossed the woman's soft hazel eyes and tried to read in theirs what was that she wasn’t telling her, but only found concern first, and finally, again, sorrow. 

“You don’t remember, do you...” Her voice was sad and mournful, as if she regretted have open her mouth. 

“What happened--!” She demanded with growing despair and harsh voice, while she could feel her eyes filling with tears. 

The woman's expression changed drastically. Her expression darkened, and the heaviness of a whole life overshadowed her gaze. 

“You need to rest”, is all she said mechanically with sorrow in her voice, averting her gaze but barely squeezing her hands in a supportive gesture for a few moments before moving toward the table next to them. 

“Wait! Please--! Tell me--!” Her voice faltered as she extended her arm to her, pleading for answers. “Why I don’t remember anything?! I can’t recall anything you said!! How did I get here?!” Her voice escaped from her mouth despite the lump in her throat. 

The woman looked up from her tasks on the table with the same expression of sorrow as before, trying to conceal a smile of comfort to calm her down. “You need to rest, and your memory will return soon enough.” 

She could only feel the overwhelming sensation of discomfort and constriction in her chest before to cry. She searched with her hands the safety of the blanket that had covered her and hugged herself looking down at the feeling of being helpless. She felt that same feeling in how the woman try to continue with her work, and then, look at her with her whole face flushed with anguished tears and silent pleading, just staring at her and asking to please answer her demands. 

“Now, I'm going to examine the stitches again, and then you’ll have a glass of water, OK?” This woman said at the end still trying to calm her by simulating a gentle casual voice again.  

She felt discourage, examining her movements out of the corner of her eye like a reflection that was familiar but distant, and then rubbed her hands against her forearms as a sign of self-preservation while trying to stop sobbing. 

When she managed to compose herself, some footsteps were heard stopping right outside of the tent, and then, a careless movement in the entrance made her startle revealing the shape of a man and provoking the instinctive reaction of covering herself with the blanket, reclining her knees to her chest. 

The woman turned surprised and then upset, sighing with consternation but relieved at the newcomer. 

“The closed door means something, you know...” Her tone became familiar, relaxed and reproachful.  

This man smiled with awkwardness as the woman turned her attention to the table, turning her back on him. 

“Yeah huh, I see… my bad. I should clear my throat or something. Sorry Carina…”  

The newcomer's voice was soft but manly, rough at the edge of each word but gentle; he had strong jaw and serious expression on his thick frowns, he barely managed to show an apologetic smile on his thin lips realizing that, maybe, it wasn’t definitely a good time to stay there. 

She studied him carefully, distrustful of the presence of a man in the same place where she was while curling up on the cot as if she felt threaten; Bronzed skin and strong expressive black eyes tried to pry his eyes on everywhere else but her; short curly messy hair all over his head appeared when he had the tact to remove the worn blue-grayish hood of the cape he was wearing to prevent she could feel more distressed; his dark-gray leather equipment with patterns of red had traces of dust and dry mud, and also on the soles and the tips of his boots were filthy with it. An unpleasant but oddly familiar feeling climb to her when she noticed that, just like an old sensation on her skin 

And then, he turned to her. Her sharp gaze was on him and he noticed. 

“Sorry for trouble you, kiddo…” He excused himself with a kind gesture, addressing her a forced line on his lips with a beard of few days.  

He averted his eyes as soon as he can to spare her more embarrassment, and then approached to a stool at the edge of the cot, looking at the woman who, already with the cloth soaked in disinfectant, turned towards the girl without mind him just it was an usual drill for them. 

She looked at him out of the corner of the eye, surveying this newcomer with suspicion and at the woman with reluctance. Something was odd with this man and the way he looked like. 

“So, how’s The Valley? Any news?” This woman renowned as Carina asked in what appeared to be a daily routine as she watched him settle in front of the cot. 

“We tried to move without calling too much attention while we surveyed the area. There were no signs of movements for now, which doesn’t mean that it won’t be later,” He explained sighing and crossing his arms, legs extended and crossed too. “They’re hidden in the mountains for sure, probably reorganizing their squads.” He made silence, taking a fleeting restless look at the girl with anxiety in his eyes. “We surprised’em. They didn’t expect us.”  

There was tension in his voice, she noticed it, as if was natural for her to detect a lie in a man's eyes: he was omitting information on propose.  _They_   _both_  were doing so. 

Carina gave him a meaningful and serious look, nodding subtly before turning again her attention to the girl's bandage. 

“If the perimeter and this area are safe, at least for a couple of days, we won’t have to make any plans. Even though, the coastal zone can be dangerous and we’d have to avoid The Desert.” She mentioned removing the gauze strips with precise hands, lap after lap. 

The girl avoided eye contact with the newcomer.  

Something in him caused her deep discomfort, at times she directed her attention trying to disguise it, feeling all the muscles of her back tense, while she barely stretched her legs inside the blankets, leaving the arms mechanically in her lap. 

There was an awkward silence before the man resumed the conversation. He cleared his throat, swaying just once on the stool and looking around casually. The silence extended more than it should be, and Carina, after finish to remove the bandage, sighed sarcastically grinning at the corner of her thin lips. 

“Anything else?” She looked at him playfully before turning around and discard the bandage in a bin passing by the table.  

The man smiled shaking his head and lowing her head, hiding the little smile in his face whilst shaking his head.  

“Then everything in order, Andal. You may go...” Carina's voice was even more mocking as she gently placed the cloth with disinfectant on the girl's head. 

“Yes, ma'am!” He whispered playfully. His voice hiding a giggle and rousing to his feet at once. 

“And please, the closed door  _means_   _something_. Tell’im.” She heard her say. 

“I will!” 

Carina couldn’t help but hide a chuckle as she carefully cleaned the wound with the cloth over the girl's scalp and look him go.  

“Dunno if he’d listen, but I’m tellin’im anyway.” 

He added joking before disappearing behind the entrance and making the woman snort. 

She endured the pain of the disinfectant on the wound and the cold running down her neck as the liquid stirred of the cloth. Suspicious and tense by the clear allusion in codes in front her, she heard Carina sigh more relieved when that man,  _Andal_ , slipped out of the tent, but in an instant felt a slight shock when in the background, that same man spoke with another in a tone of reproach. She could hear them kind of argue and approach standing a few steps close to the entrance. 

“Oh, for goodness sake!” The woman mumbled irritated beside her, noticing that she was shaking her head, resigned. “The closed door  ** _means_** something!” Carina yelled startling and making her turned to look directly at her with uneasiness. “Ugh, so sorry, dear! I didn’t mean to scare you, but-- just-- Hold on a sec--"  

Before getting away from her, snorting and rubbing her wrist across her forehead in a gesture of resignation. She noticed Carina checked that the wound was okay and then hurried to the entrance, swearing under her breath, poking her head and part of her body out to say the same exact words she had spoken out loud with more emphasis. 

“Do you understand when someone says ‘ _the closed door_ ** _means_** _something_ ’ is just  _that_  and nothing else? We need privacy over here!” 

The girl leaned forward, out of the shelter of the blanket, helping with her hands to stabilize on the treacherous cot while paying attention to the voices. 

“I told him! But I did warn you he won’t listen.” Andal sounded, yet joyful, resigned. 

“OK then, but  _now I AM_  telling  _you_ , that it is  _not_ a good time. You could distress her even more.” Carina sounded firm as the gestures of her body reassured her words, her dark brown hair with spark of white tided up precariously shook with every word and anxious nods. 

“ _Even more_?! But-- listen Doc, you should’ve seen that girl throwing me that stone that night and almost aiming.  _A stone_! If my lil’ buddy here wouldn’t dodge it, and believe me, I don’t know how she managed to do it yet-- I'm still shocked! Could you imagine that she’d just might killed me?  _Me_?! Dead by stoning?!” 

She retreated to her place on the cot perturbed after hearing that voice.  

Something wasn’t right about it. Even if it sounded like a man, carefree and witted, it doesn’t sound right. Something was odd. 

“Yeah, sure! Look-- I understand you've been worried about her, but she had a serious contusion, and as much as you want her to apologies to you, or give her some sort of _odd_ recognition on your own way, she won’t remember any of it.” Carina's concerned voice tried to modulate her intensity by stopping almost instantly in a hushed tone. “She might have a temporary memory loss. We couldn’t know now if she can recall anything of that night, or before...” 

Her heart quickened when she heard those words, and again, she could feel the trembling in her limbs as she finally certified that something  _had_ happened, and she didn’t remember anything at all. Something serious. 

“It's  _that_ bad huh. Geez...” That voice lamented. 

“Exactly! Therefore, if you came in, you could distress her even more. She already felt distressed when Andal show up. So  _please_ , I need you to listen to me just once.” 

“Told ya, pal! She’s fine! There’s no need to worry about! It's too much info for her right now. She’s in Doc’s good hands. She’ll take care of her” Andal's calm voice sounded again near the entrance, accompanied by his own steps on the spot and those of a third party. 

She slid carefully off the cot, feeling the cold against her feet after she stood on the pavement of the warehouse, shuddering at the unpleasant feeling while paying attention to the development of the conversation. 

“I didn’t want to trouble you Doc, but ... seriously? I really need to recognize a talent when I see it! Damn if this doesn’t make me wanna be some sort of a mentor, dunno what it’ll do! Still remember that hook!” That third one boasted in a tone of complete awe and lightness with Andal's unconcealed laughter in the background. 

“ _You_?! Teaching someone else? You sure she didn’t hit bullseye?” 

“Buddy! Look at my face!  _I’m stunned!_ ” 

They both cackled. 

“OK, cut the bullshit, Cayde! I need to get back to work!” Carina seemed to try to hide her laughter as she slowly turned her body back in. “I'll let you know when she's recovered. She’ll have to join the crew when I see that she’s OK.” 

She heard the footsteps of those men walking away after a few seconds, and before the doctor returned her attention to her, in a quick movement, she took a knife on the work table and hid it in the long sleeves of the, unnecessary, huge t-shirt she was wearing. 

When Carina turned completely inside the medical tent, and walking only a few steps, she stopped suddenly, startled, discovering the girl standing on her feet and looking at her. 

“Hey! What’s wrong? You shouldn’t be on your feet.” Her voice was restless, and she forced a smile, unable to express the same on her gaze. 

The girl shifted unease in place, looking everywhere with distressed eyes at the possibility of being discovered. 

“I, uhmmm ... I'm thirsty.” She excused herself with her deep voice, trying not to hesitate. Her dark eyes shifted uncomfortably as she peeked through the entrance of the tent the movements on the outside. 

Carina seems to tense in the beginning and then try to ignore the sentation of distrust that seems to express the body language of the girl. She took a few steps to approach her with a smile, only to be received immediately with the threat of a knife pointed at her. She paralyzed at once. 

“Please-- Wait--” Fear slipped of the doctor's vocal cords. 

“ _What_ happened? Who are you people?! Why I can’t remember anything?! What happened to me?!” She shouted, advancing and making the woman retreat. “Answer me!!” 

“Alright, listen--  _Please_ \-- You're in shock!” Carina replied with fear. 

That phrase made somewhere in her mind a little bit of a clash. She had heard it or had the feeling of having heard it before. 

“I don’t fucking care!! Tell me what happened and who you are _right_ _now_!!” She exhorted feeling her body burning and her face tense with anger, threatening another step further. 

Carina tried to calm her again, her hands held high, and outside, hasty footsteps rang against the pavement coming to the rescue. 

The whole situation made her feel a frighteningly familiar feeling. A door in front of her and the threat of being trapped.  

“Carina?!” Andal's exalted voice was approaching fast, bursting into the medical tent with worry, startling both women with the abruptness of the intrusion. 

“WAIT!! Don’t come in--!” 

“DOC!!” The other man shouted. 

That third subject appeared right behind Andal, and any intention Carina could have had before trying to avoid further interference, was now useless. 

The girl recoiled in fright, trembling with the tension in her outstretched arm in which she held the only weapon she had found. Those who, seconds ago, kept a relaxed conversation at the entrance were now standing in front of her, seeing her with concern and dread. 

But she gave little importance of it.  

With shock, her attention was captured in the third guy. 

Hooded in worn dark gray cloths, dressed in light leather armor of the same color and rusted yellow shin guards, it was completely mechanical and watched her closely with eyes lit in electric blue. 

A sense of menace invaded her completely. 

She had lived this. 

“I told you to stay outside!!” Carina shouted in anger. 

“You kidding?! Are we going to have this conversation  _now_?!” This  _being_ sounded offended and even incredulous as it directed its eyes at Carina in front of it, but with major attention to the girl. 

This moment felt terribly familiar for her. 

Paying attention to every one of the details of this completely mechanical subject terrified her, and at the same time caused her a intense fear at the sight of its vocal module lighting-up when it speaks. 

She felt it in her bones. She feel sure she lived this before. 

“Shut up, Cayde.” Andal, with gravity in his voice, slid to his right side with his heavy gaze fixed on the girl. 

That motion altered her even more, a clear signal that she interpreted as hostile. 

“BACK OFF!!” She growled as she looked back at both them. “STAY FUCKING AWAY FROM ME!!” 

“Buddy, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. She’s fierce and doesn’t look happy. I don’t think it's a good for you to approach her like that. Believe me...”  

She observed how, in front of her, this being slowly moved in front of Carina trying to protect her, without losing sight of the frightened girl. Hands up and one step at a time, shortening the distance with great care.  

“I thought we were cool, remember? It was dark, we were both alone ... You were in trouble …" It spoke to her in a patient tone. 

Wanting to retreat, she stumbled against the table behind her as the terror made her ears ring even more with her own pulse, raising her hand while threatening with the knife, and the fact that this third intruder was addressing her still provoked her more panic. 

“Not helping, Cayde. Shut up.” Andal urged with annoyance and his jaw locked. 

“Look, I’m trying to defuse the situation, but staying at hers 9 o'clock ain’t helping either! She doesn’t taking it well! We get through this before. We already know each other.” It modulated, dragging its foot a little further to make an approach and addressing to her again. “You remind me, I know that. You just... need to cool down and just talk to me. That’s all...” 

“ _Cayde!_ ” Andal was growing in little patience. 

“She’s upset, buddy! Stay where you are! Trust me, she’s fiercer than she looks. I can handle her myself!” It said in a sure voice. 

With its modulator now more visible and with more detail of its eyes, she discovered that the smallest of her movements was considered. 

Then, making a statement that she was serious, she pointed the knife towards Andal, affirming her intentions with just a look, making him understand and managed that he didn’t even think about moving forward, or she would kill him. In the same way, when she was aware of another attempt of whatever-she-had-in-front to move forward, she returned the tip of the knife towards it. 

“Listen, you couldn’t hurt me even if you wanted to, despite of being pure metal. Well-- you couldn’t really hurt either of us anyway. You're just going to hurt yourself, OK?” It attempts to make one more step toward her, taking care of her body language. “What if you just put the knife down and we just... y’know...  _talk_? Wouldya? We may look like the bad guys, but we don’t. Maybe we aren’t presentable now, but... well … we aren’t the kind of people who expect visitors”. The humorous voice that she heard minutes ago of this being, now sounded calm and expectant. 

She blinked without stop looking for a second at the other guy, never lowering the weapon. Her own breath had deafened her, and her legs were trembled in panic. The familiar feeling of the situation ran down her back with a terrifying cold. 

Until, something caught her attention. 

A small glow, hardly noticeable by the artificial light of the lamps on the sides of the tent, made her get anxious even more. 

Floating behind this  _Cayde_ , a small device looked curious about her and the whole situation. Four pointed red and white blades, and a bright light-blue eye saw her with attentiveness. 

She exhaled in horror, and her entire expression changed entirely, casting accusing and shocked glances at the three presents. After all, they _were_ a threat. 

This subject noticed it surprised, and immediately hid with its right hand the small device behind its back, returning in a second its attention to the girl. 

“Oh, crap …" It mumbled, being betrayed for its vocal module. 

“ _YOU!!_  You’re one of  _them_!!  _WALKERS_!!” She accused screaming, reddened face full of tears and also enraged by the sudden movement on her right. Andal’s motion ended up twitching her nerves. 

He didn’t even had time to accomplish his attempt that, with a quick movement, she wielded the knife in a swift move, making him eluded the blow by jumping backwards in time. 

Regardless, she couldn’t keep her spot.  

As she drew back, two strong arms held her from behind restraining her with the whole body weighing on her thin frame. One arm immobilizing the one she had free, and the other forcing the one in which she had the knife to drop it. 

“LET ME GO!! GET OFF ME!!” She began to scream in panic, kicking and shouting while trying to force herself free shaking back and forth her whole body and putting all her strength on her legs and feet to throw it to the floor and trying to release herself of her aggressor. 

“Ngh!! Little help--! Please! It doesn’t seem-- but-- she had strength!”  

She could hear the mechanical voice of her restrainer and the movement of its cold jaws against her scalp. 

In the desperation of escaping, screaming and kicking, painfully realizing that hitting it with her own head back was useless, she saw a blur shadow running against a closet on the other side of the table and the nervous voice of the woman indicating how to use a sedative. 

She panicked even more and cried in horror, knowing that they wanted to induce her into sleep.  

With more motivation then, she pressed with both legs towards the floor helping herself with all the strength she had on her body, pushing back and forth, looking for something she could use to leverage and knock this being down and get rid of it. 

Shaking herself more violently in this guy's mechanical arms, she managed to make contact with a trunk under the operations table, propelling herself into a nearby closet with a brutal but ineffective thud, causing the subject yell at her back followed by an angry swearing and the urgency that the other two act fast. “Use _damn_ sedative!!  ** _NOW_** _ **!!**_ ” 

The sudden movement of someone on her left frightened her, even more the feeling of the full weight of this thing reducing her movements, restraining her every move with its whole body upon her and exposing part of her left arm.

She cried in terror while, in seconds, felt the sharp pain of a needle and the cold liquid running down her arm and trying to gain more strength with her legs to get rid of the body of her attacker, only discovering that, little by little, her legs were beginning to numb. She complained, groaning and sobbing in the desperation feeling dizzy and powerless. 

“That’s it. There you go, girl... Easy… everything’s fine..." She heard the murmur from the vocal module of this individual over her right shoulder, still not taking its weight off and holding her tightly with both arms. 

“How much ‘til does effect??” The voice of that man was heard agitated while it was heard discarding the sedative cartridge in the biohazard. 

“It's immediate!” Carina sounded tense, and more and more drowned and far away. 

She tried to force herself backwards with her legs again starting to feel she was losing her senses, her throat burned with the effort of screaming, diminishing in intensity until it was just a murmur. 

The feel of still being under the pressure of the body of the one who restrained her was less than before, and the weight she felt on her back, shoulders and legs was almost gone. 

Her head began to spin, and it was difficult to stay awake, causing her eyelids to weigh, and instantly, a familiar sensation caused her a restlessness while the seconds passed by and the notion of her surroundings started to blur. Her strength finally gave in and her arms loosened, but immediately, she felt the others don’t. 

She was hiked up and immediately hurried to lay her down on the cot while more and more, the voices of nervousness of those three mingled, sounding distant and muffled. 

A sharp pain punctured her head as the woman's fine fingers rushed through her scalp. Someone put the blanket back on her legs and the cold that she felt later, consequence of the injection, began to disappear. 

She tried to pry her eyes open once more and the world spun around, beginning to go black again. Carina's worried look studied her condition and the reaction to the sedative in detail, and from behind her, this  _Cayde_ , perplexed, peeked out with unease movements to verify exact the same thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Again, the feeling of the rough blankets against her skin started to wake up her, and a subtle mechanic sound that she could detect so closely to her face caught her attention making her comeback to her senses.

She opened her eyes slowly, moving her head to her sides and whining at the stinging pain on the back of her head. Her moves were groggy and even though a sense of familiarity come to her mind like a sudden realization when she brought her hand to her forehead, recognizing the texture of the gauze covering the contour of her head. A slight movement above her followed by shy tiny sound like and elusive question caught again all her attention at once, making her react at the strange device floating over her face, examining her with curiously with its sole light-blue bright eye.

With fear, she startled abruptly on the cot, chasing away the tiny device and realizing at the very moment that she wasn’t alone, and she was being watched now not only by one but three spectators.

There was a worried silence as she scanned the place, and the presence of those two aside of the woman unleashed a terrible fear that she hadn’t any intention to hide it. Again, she felt cornered.

 _“She is awake!”_ She heard. There was an eager female voice coming out from the device, addressing to its companion with excited movements as it approached to its owner. She recognized it, and all her body shivered with an utter sullied sensation.

“Yeah, Yeah… we’ve noticed that, lil’ bud. Come, come over here…” She heard it say.

This individual named _Cayde_ was sitting on the exact opposite side of the tent and waved at the small floating thing shaking its head with awkwardness.

She didn’t lose any special attention on it before returning to look trembling at Carina that was on the other side of the operation table, restless and with both hands on it; her face seemed to reflect hers as she try to fake a light smile on her features, just pretending to hide something that it was obvious; and finally, the man named Andal, motionless and severe, exactly in the same place where he had introduced himself the first time; arms crossed and expressive black eyes surveying her reactions.

As far as she could see, both humans with their faces full of urgency and obvious uneasiness for the past situation, and discomfort on the features of that individual, each time that the bright of its artificial eyes crossed with hers.

She hid again behind the heavy wool blanket whilst scrutinize each of them with deep fear, and silence made it difficult to coexist in the place because of the edgy situation.

Then, taking courage, Carina spoke first.

“I’m so sorry for not having handled the situation with more caution, dear. We… didn’t want to fright you.” She said, shifting in place and gesturing with both hands an explanation. “You went through a delicate situation, and we thought that the best thing we could do for you was preserve your mental integrity from keeping you out for... surprises.” Her voice slid softly in the silence, at the same time, her tired expression drew a painful smile on her lips. The girl's distrust gave her little to none confidence that with those few explanations something wouldn’t change, and with reluctance she was force keep explaining. “You suffered a considerable traumatism, and because of that, a memory loss that we don’t know if it’ll be permanent or is just because of the big trauma you had to deal with. You came here in a terrible state and made a completely mess--”

“What happened?”

The tone of her deep voice vibrated with loud discord in the place. Her eyes were filled with tears, but it made little to prevented her from demanding the harshness of reality.

Carina looked uncertainly at both Andal and that individual, and before she could explain further while clearing her throat, Andal answered for her.

“The settlement you were was attacked.” His low voice rumbled in the tent, and the huge expressive black eyes accompanied his severe expression, darkening his features. “Few survived, some died on the way to this place. It was a massacre.”

She gasped an exhalation of horror, and tears started to roll down her cheeks. She looked at them pleading further explanation.

“How--?!”

“ _Fallen._ ” A synthetic voice replied.

That _Cayde_ individual interrupted with almost the same serious tone as that man Andal, standing up and narrowing the distance between Carina and where it had been sitting a few steps behind, placing next to Doctor with crossed arms like if it that would gave it the courage to get into the talking.

Carina only looked at him once, concerned on how the conversation would develop if the topic distressed the girl way more than she could bear; all she could hope from this moment forward was that this whole thing don’t end up bringing the poor thing more pain.

“The settlement was very close to their territory, and they took it as a taunt. They huh...” He hesitated, fidgeting again uncomfortably in his place, trying to hold her gaze as he perceived how apprehensive she was at him before averting his sight.

When it raised its eyes again, first looking at Andal and then to her, she could almost sense worry on its expression and in its bright blue eyes before to even address to her again. It was almost the same as the woman did the first time she woke up and assisted her, but at the same time, different. There were worry on them, but also, uneasiness, not for her. _For this_.

“They hunt at night,” it finally said with gravity on its voice while trying to keep its composure. “We discovered’em when they were already there."

She felt the cold run all over her body and making her curl deeper into cot, trembling, starting to despair whilst trying to remember those details and collecting her thoughts, all the muscles on her back tensed as the heavy realization smacked her body without any possible answer, because any of what it was been saying make sense to her, even if she made a hard try for get any little hint to certify those words. None of that make sense, and also, nothing was familiar to her.

“I found you in the middle of an abandoned mine with a _Captain_ on your heels,” it interrupted again, driving her attention back. “I can tell you’re lucky, kid--! I mean-- that I got there in time...”

She perceived what it seemed to be the expressions of this individual an effort to treat the situation with some sort of lightness after being aware that the cruelest reality was beginning to cling into her, causing her to despair. And even though its presence was only proving to be more frightful than reassuring, doing the act of speaking to her terrifying, this being seemed to try even harder to keep into the talk. And the more it tried to keep talking to her, the more she felt this uneasiness in every manner it expressed to her.

In the back of her mind then, something told her that this sensation was different as the talk keep going, being perceived then for her as somewhat like forlorn.

“Cayde brought you here unconscious with a terrible wound in your head,” Carina then said. “You actually _are_ really lucky. If you had a concussion or if it’d been worse, we wouldn’t have been able to do much.”

The woman’s voice sounded eerie, but the way she doubted to talk about the whole case only caused her more distrust over the events that brought her to that place.

She looked at them again, feeling all the muscles in her face hardened with grief, and finally a rush of fearful anguish burst from her as her eyes filled with tears.

“How did you find me? How bad was I?” She demanded in a tense tone.

There was a silence.

She saw Andal barely turn to look the individual next to Carina, making a statement with just that gesture, and it was read for her with any doubt of its intention: it was that same look with which they had looked at her from the very first moment she woke up, and it was palpable for her that they were still trying to hide something.

The silence turned difficult, and she saw Carina fidget, doing an effort to be subtle about it.

But against all better judgment, at the end, someone talked.

“I found you terrified, in shock, covered from head to toe in mud and blood.”

Cayde spoke gravely, surprising those beside him.

He saw the girl paralyzed and stared at him with a sharp but shaken look; he could see though, despite the distance between them, how that turmoil of thoughts and emotions began to be reflected in her gestures, in her features, in how those eyes seemed to tremble while processing information that seemed to be unknown for her, to be unreal. For memories she appeared to not have and the desperation before the need to have them. He knew about that quite well.

Carina, unsettled, was about to open her mouth to reproach him a reckless decision, but before she could tell anything, he hurried ahead.

“I'm not gonna lie to her.” He excused himself, giving her a meaningful look.

Andal just exhaled resignedly while an imaginary weight overcame his shoulders, swallowing and removing the jaw at the sudden situation. Carina finally said nothing and stood like if something was implicit in that reply. She worried about the young woman, distressed in how all this could work from now on with her.

And what it was for the girl, not recalling anything of what had been mentioned, stifled a helpless cry while curl herself, bringing her legs to her body to hide herself away of the world.

The three of them look at each other with disquiet and sadness before the situation, hearing the sobs and cry of the helpless girl filling the place. Then Andal, trying to help her out slid a comment with a serious but sad tone.

“Do you remember your name?”

“No...!” She was broken, hiding her face between the hollow of her knees and arms, and her trembling voice was muffled and mingled with sobs.

There was another silence as she heard the woman's footsteps approaching towards the cot, sitting slowly next to her and making her just startle a little and slightly look up her, still distrustful as the woman only returned a sad expression to her. She let her touch her arm, and her small hand slid a subtle squeeze in solace.

“Parents? Siblings?” Insisted the man.

“I don’t remember A THING!” She roared finally in anguish, interrupting him and raising her flushed face with tears running down her cheeks and shaking her wavy large brown hair from the sudden reaction of exasperation.

 _“What about her scars?”_ it was heard unexpectedly.

Another mechanical voice made an appearance, female and more solemn than that individual voice or its little companion, and with more urgency and eloquence in its manners. She noticed another device in deep blue and black colors appearing with a fast beam of light above Andal's head, floating and moving its mechanical blades while articulating and looking at who seemed to be its owner with inquiry. It advanced with probing movements towards the girl, who disturbed by this new intrusion and the reveal of Andal’s true nature too, became more impatient.

“ _Maybe they can reveal details of her identity_.” It suggested at the end.

“It won’t!” Cayde interrupted as both his companions stared at him with perplexity. His response was so tacit that it surprised them, even himself. “I mean-- well-- maybe it's not a good time, doesn’t it?” He instantly resisted, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe she does really need to rest to think about all of this, and we just making her feel even worse if we keep push it. I’m just-- I'm just sayin’.”

Carina contemplated this, turning her gaze to the girl who still felt the threat of both subjects in that place, even more with the appearance of their companions. It was a relief that that suggestion put the end to the conversation for once and she was grateful, at last, for that act of good sense by the man who was about to shout in anger moments ago for his hotheaded reaction.

She looked at him again for a few seconds and could notice his very well-hidden concern about why keep talking would be an awful mistake. She understood then _why_.

“That’s true,” Carina finally said with a thoughtful voice, turning her attention to the girl again. “She needs to rest.” She added giving her a patient loving gesture and rousing up to leave.

The tension was beginning to fade away while, still with tears in her eyes, she noticed that the three of them attempted to leave the place with slow deliberation, absorbed in their thoughts and ready to leave her alone to rest. She looked at them, and a sudden instinctive sensation made her stomach turn with a full awareness of how vulnerable she feel and how abandoned she was.

From a second to another, the tent became huge, and every corner of it, a hole where something terrible could appear and murder her.

“Wait!” She cried.

The three turned around halfway, surprised.

She straightened on the cot anxiously and her voice was an anguished plea. “I don’t want to be alone! Please, can someone stay with me!”

They looked at each other, confused, and then, surprising everyone on the room, one of the small mechanical beings came out floating cautiously towards the girl.

She recognized it immediately: red and white with some golden ornaments; It had been above her head when she woke up, curious and intrigued of her.

Distrustful, she leaned back without losing sight of this little one, observing the other three with fright.

The device turned to its owner in an inquiring tone, who, astonished, gave an alarming look to those who accompanied him.

“Oh no. No, no. No, **_No!_** _No-way!_ She can’t stay! **_I_** _can’t stay_ _!_ ” Cayde reacted in bafflement.

Carina exhaled uneasily and turned to Andal with the same perplexed expression, and then, finally, raising her thin eyebrows, force a grimace on her face. “I'll be back in an hour, I must check the supplies and the rest of the injured.” She said to both men, taking courage and looking one last time at the confused girl with a gentle smile before left.

The two of them watched her go, and then exchanged perplexed looks. Andal began to shift thoughtful in his place and Cayde gestured with his finger as an ultimatum with a tense voice.

“Andal. _Don’t_ \--”

“Sorry, pal! You seem the most capable to do this and, for the record, you were the one who brought her here so... Be right back!”

With lightness, and a sort of complicity, Andal sketched a quick smile. His eyes sparkling and a reaffirming pat on Cayde’s left arm and a wink, he left him walking away at a quick pace.

He stood for brief seconds, and even stepped out to verify, in disbelieve, that in a second both Andal and Carina had vanished, disguised in the movement of the outside. He dropped his arms in a resigned tone mumbling annoyed something to himself, and with some trepidation, dared to return his attention to the girl.

Motionless, the only movement that was visible was her breathing that made it clear that maybe it wasn’t how she expected the events to unfold. She was nervous and alert to the most inappropriate of his movements. _Fierce and cornered_ , he realized, it isn’t the best combination for someone who doesn’t hesitate with a scalpel.

His little companion turned to him moving all her blades with eagerness, and then turned to the girl, always keeping certain distance to not fright her.

Cayde shook his head in total disapproval, looking at his ghost and then rambling several times in his place while still mumbling, hands on his waist and head bowed in defeat. “Why are you like this? I mean, you have any consideration of your well-being, or just enjoy make me feel nervous about being killed?” He reproached her in a whisper.

On her knees on the cot, she didn’t look away from both, not even feeling the mechanical action of her own eyelids as she verify every bit of space they handled, expecting this individual it didn’t dare to approach by any means to her. But when the small device took the initiative to float a little more towards her with curious, hesitating and always aware of the tiniest of her reactions, she barely threw her body back starting to fright. Her attention, as a few moments ago, came and went between the two figures, with special attention to _that…_ _guy_.

When it started walking, she completely forgot the small figure floating above the steel table. She watched as she heard its boots against to the floor, until it reached the stool where Andal had been sitting minutes ago.

She hesitated, making herself backwards with her face tense and her gaze fixed on it.

“I'm going to sit _here_. Just… sit here and try to not even disturb you, and that's all. OK?” He said with indulgence as he slowly finished to sit down. The elbows on the knees and a distracted look, trying to avoid eye contact with her. He looked at every corner to relieve tension, knowing very well that those sharp eyes won’t miss anything.

When he finally dared to look up trying to hold her gaze, he discovered that she had her all attention fixed on his figure. She was motionless, and he could notice that every muscle in her lean body was tense. He shifted in his sit, debating whether if speak could work, or made everything even worse.

“So huh, how ‘bout a little nap? I know could be kind of difficult considering there’s a lotta things you need to think ‘bout, but... nothing that a good nap can’t fix--! I mean, not _exactly_ as it was before; perhaps, without the need of sedatives, as much as possible--” He shut his mouth, being aware of what he just said, vocal module blinking, betraying that he muttered angrily something to himself. “Forget that. It wasn’t a good thing to say.” He added with some awkwardness. His way of managing this, casual and carefree, didn’t seem to have the effect that he expected to have. The girl was still there, tense and wary.

He lowered again his gaze, and nervously played with his gloves, adjusting them from the wrists, trying to distract himself. This wasn’t going to work while she was still feeling menaced of his presence, even more if he treated her like a broken thing or like a helpless child. He needed to be a reassurance, he needed to try harder, earn her trust. He needed prove her wrong.

When he looked up again, this time he didn’t hesitated. “Look, it's clear to me that you don’t remember any of it, but I told you this before: it’s not nice to stare at people like that.”

She blinked, frowning slightly. She could see the glare of those eyes looking at her, but also, a sense of defiance on them, feeling though, ridiculous at the thought that there was even certain indignation in the mechanical face of this hooded guy in worn dark-gray cape.

They spent a few seconds in silence, just looking at each other, studying the mere presence of the other.

And then, to his surprise, he heard a disguised sigh escaping from the girl, and he could even perceive that her body relaxed a bit, at least.

Carefully, he straightened on the bench averting his eyes to the floor to break tension as he searched for the right words while leaving his arms laze in his lap. And he thought that maybe this was finally working.

“So, uhmm ... How’s your head? Still hurts?” Curious and insecure, he made a gesture with his hand, waving at her and then gesturing on the back of his own head. “You hit me like _really_ hard! If I’d been flesh and bones, I’d have had my beautiful face with a broken nose.”

It surprised him first, but he would’ve sworn see her remove her lips doing an effort to not to give in a smile.

He took that as a victory, and shifted again in the stool, _anxious_. He resumed the conversation trying to keep the same attitude.

“Yeah, I have a face! And just for you to know that, behind all this metal lies a beautiful face. You’re ruthless, girl! I can give you that. You don’t hesitate. You have guts to--!”

“What are you?” She asked abruptly. Her deep voice sounding tense. The remnants of her distress, even there, latent.

Cayde faltered. He leaned back with surprise, and then shook his shoulders with his eyes down before looking back at her again. He knew this could eventually came up.

“I’m an EXO. A sort of… ‘machine’ as far as you can see, but it’s way more complicated than that, and… long to explain. It could be sum up that I am ‘ _like’_ a machine, but, in fact, I’m human…” His gestures sought the easiest way to respond, and his voice seemed hesitant at moments.

“What _are_ you, exactly?”

He was now uncertain. The hard expression on the girl's face in which gravity and fear mixed, waiting for an answer to know how to react at the next thing he could said, didn’t gave him the assurance that this was going in the way that he was expecting to unfold. There was another _thing_ that was being judged in this conversation, apart from his looks. What it really scared her.

He shrugged, shaking his hooded head and then looked up at her, deference in his voice module as he answered her inquiry.

“People call us _Risen_. One day we were dead, and the other, we don’t. We don’t remember anything of our previous life,” He turned his attention to the small device, exchanging attention to him and to her with all the attention in their interacting. “They found us: The _Ghosts_. We can hear them before the Light reach us out, and then, in a moment... _Here we are.”_ He resumed gesturing with his arms trying not to lose the light tone of the conversation.

“They... _find you_?” She questioned, suspicious.

“They _choose us”_ He marked.

She noted the module of its voice affirm with the same bright intensity as its tone seek to claim, serious and firm.

Something in the way she was talking dislodged him. And the second genuine reaction he achieved, to his dismay, was a scorn.

“As if was an honor...” The poison in her voice made him uneasy, leaving him tense in that stool, “and a right, to believe themselves worthy of being above everything or everyone.”

“ _What--?”_

“I've heard stories about creatures like you, and unfortunately, I do remember that! Your kind enslave people or kill them at the slightest resistance! They don’t even think it twice!! Your kind just want power over those are powerless!” She accused, trembling in rage.

“Wait! What are you talking about--?!” The indignation became noticeable while he was gesturing in bewilderment.

“You know what I'm talking about! You are like _those_!” She raised her strong voice, her almond-shaped eyes watery and irritated, hidden behind his furious brows.

“Sweetheart, you have no idea what you're saying...”

“Of course I am! You’re lying!!”

“OK, so first of all, you're _not_ being nice!” He stood up abruptly making the stool squeak, offended and with both hands in an exasperated gesture that made the girl, once again, startle scared in an intent to escape, one foot out of bed and all her body language prepared to make her way fighting in any way possible. He regretted his impulsive reaction first, but then he realized that he could not let this pass. Like he said to himself before: he needed to prove her wrong. “Second! I thought you were the one who needed someone to stay here just because _you were scared!”_ He changed the tone of his voice, between seriousness, indignation and childishness as if it request was a joke, but to trying to make a point.

Then, hesitating a few moments before continuing, he waved an accusing finger at her. “And third …! I can see you’ve cold… so huh, because of your poor health condition, go back to bed now, stop behaving like a brat -because you are _not_ -, close your eyes, and fall asleep, _missy_!”

Puzzled and upset, she didn’t understand what it was talking, and restless, she blinked nervous while trying to read its reactions.

“I mean, seriously... cover yourself. It’s… uncomfortable to keep talking like this.” He finally said embarrassed and gesturing lightly at her, hesitating to keep looking.

When she ended up noticing this at the cold feel of her exposed legs, immediately her whole face burned with the heat of shame becoming aware of how exposed she was. She hid quickly and nervous under the safety of the blankets, first embarrassed and then returning an angry expression at this guy, not knowing what to yell about to it.

He looked once fidgeting in place before to sit again, doubting in how could possibly fix this misinterpretation as he lowered his head understanding that this situation and what he said about it was humiliating for her. And finally, hesitating again, he took courage to look up again just to find that she was on the cot again, under the blanket and piercing him with eyes full of absolute contempt, and the feeling that, _again_ , he had to win back that bit of trust he had achieved a few but distant minutes ago.

“Look, I didn’t mean to scare you or… make you feel ashamed, but honestly… lemme tell you: you're wrong. I’m _not_ like that, Andal is not like that.” He assured recovering the same significance of moments ago. “Just think about that for one sec. If it was really as you think it is, you wouldn’t be here. Simple as that.”

She watched it, still with the indignant blush of humiliation. The furious expression didn’t leave her face and she could feel her own frown hurting. “And how do you explain those stories? Everyone lies then?” She inferred exasperated, holding the blanket to her chest with iron grip.

Cayde shrugged thinking his next words but finding only the truth to say. “You're alive, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it…?” It's all that he answered.

And after that, something changed, and he noticed it.

She wavered, so clearly in her posture, that even he noticed it in her face. That ferocity that she expressed so openly in all her demeanor as her only defense, wobbled in front of him like a wave on the water. And since he had found her, for the first time, he saw her features soften, enough to be subtle, but notorious.

Cayde straightened up slightly on his seat at the sight of her reactions and watched her for a few seconds in contemplation. Inwardly he remembered those times, _several times_ , that some of his fellow comrades reproached him that sometimes, the less the better.

Even though, he waited for some contemptuous reaction as an answer, but then, surprised, he observed how without saying a word, still with some distrust, she lay down slowly on the cot but with the visual cleared to observe any unexpected movement from him.

She stayed there, staring. One arm under the precarious pillow to be more comfortable, and the other firmly holding the blanket to her chest. Huddled, but with the possibility of observing it, she remained still.

He barely moved on the stool, trying to remain silent and _very_ careful about his movements, hands on his knees, tapping with his fingers as he tried to return to a normal conversation.

“So huh, I'll just stay here now, if you’re OK with that. You can close your eyes and try to get some sleep.”

She ignored its comments and keep looking at it in silence.

“I promise I don’t make a sound. So… sleep, sleep tight!” He gestured with both hands in a joyful mood.

“They said I needed to rest, not sleep.” Her tone was indolent and emotionless as she continued to watch it carefully.

Cayde inclined his head and loosened his shoulders in defeat, lighting up his module like sighing in resignation.

“You gained my admiration for being a tough woman, and for that shot with nothing but a stone, which by the way, you don’t remember a thing, but... seriously? You’re a difficult girl...”

From the tone of its voice, she could see that the way the situation had been developing was equally uncomfortable for this guy as it was for her. But also, she realized that, except for a few sad exchanges, the way this was finally going, was turning to be surprisingly amusing for her. Also, she could tell, that that sensation she had been feeling moments ago, now it was almost gone.

Although, she found it curious, and the peculiarities of this _guy_ didn’t cease to cause her some doubts about to trust it or not, or what was it. Or... if it even was an _it_?

She let pass a moment and watched it stretch its legs hiding both hands between its thighs, carefree and swaying playfully while it was looking around, not paying attention to her, or at least, pretending not to. Singing in hushing tone and making lit up the voice module with the vibration of its voice. She knew it was trying to relieve the tension.

So she remained just watching, until, again, its eyes lit in a vibrant blue turned towards her.

“I'm that bad, huh. Isn’t singing my thing? Well! I’m not sorry about it” He teased.

After that, he was now sure that the corner of her lips sketched something like a grim.

He didn’t speak before that, understanding that as his cue for just let things flow, looking back at the floor later and tapping a part of his sole against the floor.

A quiet approval came later, and both remained in silence just familiarizing with the presence of the other.

And then, a subtle movement drew both their attention.

His ghost floated again with curiosity towards the girl, causing not only concern in her but also distressing his owner too who, before could object what she was doing, he stayed in his place, observing that the tiny device did nothing but start a projection.

“What you’re doing--!”

“I'm doing nothing--!”

She shifted uneasily against the cot trying to sit up, first distressed and then confused.

Peaceful images float surrounding her, like she was in a deep forest with old but vivid trees and cheerful sounds swarming among them in the highs.

The sound of the projection filled the tent, and there was a clear sound of water running like if they were there. But in the middle of those sounds, it was a distinctive one among the rest that it was been heard with a clarity that called her attention; a nervous short cheep that was shy but strong, and its little owner was on the edge of what it seems to be a stream, stranding with anxious pace while looking the surroundings. Small, nervous and with earthy plumage, it wandered lightly among the dry reed.

 _“Cettia cetti, or commonly called, Cettia’s Warbler, is a species of passerine family type of the cettiidae family of Europe, southwestern Asia and northern Africa. During the Golden Age, they were a kind of bird of minor concern. But, due to the events after the Collapse, there are no records of sight-seeings in the area. The place is now unbearable and dangerous for life in general.”_ The shy digital female voice of the small device sounded gloomy at the end while approached the girl. “ _It was small and easy to identify. Its song was powerful, noisy, very characteristic and often insistent, so it was easy to recognize it; Elusive and subtle, it lived among the vegetation, and it emitted a strong distinctive sound when it felt threatened, usually, most of the time.”_

She returned a scathing look to its owner, who did nothing but shake its head and rub its hand embarrassed all over its face.

“You’re not helping, buddy...” Cayde muttered resignedly on his stool.

 _“I was hoping that showing something like this it would help her to reconcile her sleep.”_ , Ghost said to him before continuing to explain to the girl. “ _This one is one of the few records we found about wildlife during the Golden Age as we prowled the area seeking survivors,”_ The little artifact explained now looking them both, “ _and I find its reactions very similar to those she had with you, Cayde.”_

“Oh, boy... things like this makes wonder why it was you who rezzed me…” He muttered under his breath, resigned and looking embarrassed to all sides.

She completely ignored it, and still distrustful, incredulous of herself for what she was watching, directed her attention to the little artifact. “What is this?” She asked curious.

_“Western Europe. Now is a dead zone, plagued by terrible creatures: The Fallen.”_

She felt fear after hearing that, and only directed her attention to the owner of the device once, only to discover it looking at her before averting its eyes towards the projection with uneasiness.

She ignored it again, anxiously shrugging her shoulders then turning back to its ghost. “Is it far from here?”

 _“Not enough, but the necessary to avoid a tragic result_.” Ghost replied.

“You mean _die_ …” She corrected as a matter of fact as she bent her legs and embraced them with her arms, watching the details of the projection that surrounded her while paying attention to the sounds.

 _“We cannot die,”_ Ghost marked. “ _But you could...”_

She became restless, nervous, and looked down after what the ghost said, trying to avoid thinking about the odds.

“Right…” She muttered with bitterness. ‘ _As if he cared…’_ , she struggled in her thoughts as mixed feelings made her feel again this desperation to know _exactly_ what really happened to her, and if she was really safe now.

If there are anyone out there looking for her. Or who she was...

Cayde reclined forward as if was seeking her attention, barely moving on his stool. Then, turned to Ghost, gesturing to finish the tone of the conversation before all he had achieved with this _prove-her-wrong_ _thing_ was wasted. The ghost faltered when it cut the projection, calling the girl’s attention and then debating herself between take care of her and her owner petition; her small blades spinning from side to side, doubting.

The absence of any topic to talk about and the uneasiness of her unknown origins was starting to make her be distressed. And to avoid resuming an awkward dialogue about that with the guy, finally, she broke the silence.

“What else can you tell me about before?” She asked with shyness.

Cayde startled and exchanged glances with Ghost.

“How was the world like before… _all_ this? There were more of... _those..._?”

“Birds...” He answered, making her look at him with apprehensive but timid eyes. “We call’em _birds_. There’re still some, but not so many.”

She hesitated for a few seconds at this guy still addressing her, but at the end, allowed herself to relax before looked at the ghost again, letting her arms loose on her covered knees whilst looking at them expectantly with her chin on her forearms.

After a brief pause, the small device tentatively approached her again with more confidence now, wavering her small parts with enthusiasm at the sight of her reactions to be quieter.

 _"What do you want to know about it?”_ Ghost keenly asked.

“Warblers”, She replied, trying to hide the eagerness in her voice before a brief glance towards the device’s owner. “Birds …" Then she corrected herself in a shy mumbling, returning her attention back to the little being.

Cayde watched her in silence with a bit of content after hearing her said that last thing, noticing that she finally seemed more at ease when his ghost began to project a series of images and sounds about that species.

He thought for a minute though, if he were still flesh and bones, his body would be hurting for remain so long immobile sitting on that bench.

So, he stayed there, giving glances from time to time to his little companion and the girl, and glancing more at her that he should as the minutes passed, and Ghost’s explanation continued, perceiving that, at last, his presence seemed to be finally unnoticed and harmless to her.


	4. Chapter 4

She was running, listening to explosions around her.

All she could see around was chaos, something incomprehensible.

There were mostly screams and the silhouette of people running by, escaping of an unmistakable danger.

There was fire and smoke, and dust and debris.

The image changed.

She was in a small space. Somewhere dark, a wretched place.

The light barely leaked through a few gaps.

She listened to the muffled noise of men behind a door, and the sound of her own heavy breathing and panicked heartbeat crushing at her chest. There were laughter and angry swearing, but some of those grotesque horrible laughs that can easily pass for the growl of a dangerous rabid predatory animal.

She was immobilized.

The sound of the chains that held her echoed in the precarious room, and the clatter of heavy footsteps approaching behind the entrance made her pulse quicken and her own voice being distorted by anguish pleas, begging for mercy.

The door suddenly went opened with a bang.

The figure of a man pounced over her pinning her down and she began to scream.

That man cursed and struggled, his guttural and repulsive voice that barely seemed to modulate understandable words had disdain for her existence.

She could hear her heart hammering in her chest. All her body being restrained and bruised.

She wanted to escape.

She wanted to die.

 

Again, another image.

 

Fire and blood, and the ice-cold shriek of something that wasn’t human echoing all around and a lot of panicked screams.

She could feel herself terrified and running like hell.

The darkness began to envelop her as she ran. Scared to death, throbbing it like if it was happened. Like a vivid dream.

The horrendous howl of something was chasing her.

There was no escape.

She was sure she was going to die.

And then, gunshots.

Gunfire and a beam of light.

Her screams and the dance of light and shadow laid before her.

From behind, a desperate call warning her later.

The light blinded her. Someone spoke in a calmed but tense voice and she could hardly distinguish what that someone was saying. It was trying to take her... _save her_? But she felt fear...

"... _Are we cool?_ "

It’s was all she understood.

Again, she felt herself running. And then, the sensation of smelling blood.

A warning call, and nothing more.

 

An explosion.

 

She awoke terrified in her place.

She was still in the tent, on the cot, sitting and curled up watching to all sides with a total sense of dread. There was something raging in the background, constant but noisy enough to fright her, different from anything she could possibly ever listened, like a thousand of furious blast.

“Hey… You okay?”

She startled then, turning to that voice abruptly with eyes wide open.

That guy was still there, sitting on the bench and somehow puzzled by her sudden reaction, leaning slightly with curiosity and a bit of concern.

She didn’t gave it more attention that she wanted, she was trying to understand what was happening out there. What was that crashing dreadful noise! She wanted it to disappear!

“You fell asleep and you didn’t even notice.”

That thing’s voice called to her again, and she looked at it again only giving to it her anxious look at the same time she was trying to comprehend what the hell was going on. Its little companion, its _ghost_ , loomed near to her with more confidence than before and moving its front blades in an interrogative gesture. Even so, she barely noticed it.

Suddenly, again, another explosion, a big one. She screamed terrified while that clamor was scattering all over the huge shelter as if it was flying above them, rumbling on the walls like it was going to tear them down. She pushed both hands against her ears and snuggled against her legs again, squeezing her eyelids and feeling her heart explode in her chest.

“WOW!! Girl!! _Simmer down!!_ Are you really _that_ afraid of storms? Seriously??”

Its voice sounded incredulous, and the immediate thing she heard after that was this guy standing up of the bench and walking to her.

She raised her eyes alarmed, and this individual froze in place instantly at that response, not moving at all in a gesture of whole understanding about that simple warning. “Alright! I get it! Storms scares you and you respect your personal space. There’s no need to look at me like that! Fine by me!”

She couldn’t be aware of her own expressions, but perhaps, could imagine how scared and upset she looked like noticing that the small device floated backwards with slowness and caution while she seemed to be able to read those same reactions on its owner’s. Just a few steps It had walked to her, enough to reach the middle of the cot, showing again any intentions of hostility and studying her every move to prevent to scare her more.

Until she felt certain that it wouldn’t be another blasting sound threatening to crush all the place down and still hugging her legs, she tried to comprehend what that deafening noise was constantly hitting the shed.

“What's that?!” She yelled trembling with panic.

“huh... _Rain_...?” It said in a skeptical tone as it shrugged.

There was another menacing explosion in the distance, giving the impression that it would blast on the roof with the force of a landslide. She stifled a cry before hiding her face again between her arms and knees, wanting desperately to this to stop.

Then, she wasn’t sure if it was that dreadful noise making her hear things or what, but she maybe though it was possible that she’d hear something like a chuckling slipping through the noise in the background.

 _“_ _Apparently, ‘She’ is not familiar with these atmospheric phenomena, the storms,”_ The shy voice of Ghost could barely get distinguish while it was approaching her again with carefulness. “ _Maybe if I could give her a brief explanation about it, it is possible she’d lose her fear of it...”_

“Nah, nah, don’t do that! It's almost cute to see her like this! So cliché...” Its voice was cheerful while hiding it was giggling.

She was outraged when realized this, feeling fire rose from her stomach as she furiously raised her gaze to look at it straight into the eye and yell to it, but only to discover that this had a tentative effort to approach her again.

“What you're laughing about?!” She blurted out, only causing a less dissimulated guffaw from the guy.

“HAHA! Sorry! Don’t get mad! I can see you're scared, but you should see your expression right now!” It was looking her while still laughing, making her feel more upset. “Seriously though, you look like a stranded puppy!” Its vocal module lighted up while shaking its head in cheerful disbelieve without even being concerned about the enraged gaze of the girl.

With that premise, and without even paying attention to any of her implicit warnings, he walked to her, trespassing her personal space without even looking at her, surrounding the surgical table and passing by her side to walk towards one of the opposite corners of the work table next to the cot.

She leaned to her left annoyed and distressed as it passed by, trying to turn her full body towards it in alarm. When it saw reached the other side of the working table, she heard it mutter to Itself, looking this guy’s hood move from behind while searching for something among the cornered bottles. “Aha! Found it!”

She hadn't time to react after that.

When it turned towards her, perturbed as it approached her shortening the distance in few strides, she was about to yell to it and punch it right on its face to defend herself and make a statement about not ever dare to cross the line again.

Eyes wide open and fear written all over her face at the feeling of disadvantage first, and then, to her surprise, just saw it crouch right beside the cot at nothing more than a few centimeters from each other.

Even if she was utterly alarmed like the very beginning, _now_ , she could observe every detail and each one of the aspects of this ‘non-human being’, bringing her a sort of relief but still confusing her.

Despite its vocal module, it had a mouth; upper and lower jaw. Its mechanical features simulated facial expressions so fairly that she was surprised to understand that in that moment was expressing some sort of empathy for her; most of its face was blue, except for its forehead that was white; its eyes shone in bright blue light, in which she understood its morphology as the same as any human being, same as it was for Carina, or that other man Andal, or herself, and for some reason, she was starting to felt draw to them, seeing through their glowing a fair expression of liveliness, becoming aware that the more she saw into them, the more she understood they expressed intent for her.

So she stood still, watchful. As well as... _he_...

The hood and the cape added an appearance that made him look like a human or had the purpose to tried to hide part of his true features, almost as if he was trying to hide what he is from others. Although, it was impossible not see his horn on his forehead that jutted out just from underneath the piece of wore cloth that covered all his head; to the naked eye though, the piece of fabric that served as a cloak and fell over his shoulders looked heavy but ruined by time, and the dark color that it had been in previous years looked dull and wasted in spite of be useful and durable. It seemed that he tried to hide what he was or how he looked like from the suspicious eyes, but either way, how he looked like entirely, made that impossible. She understood now for that simple reason, that maybe, that restlessness that swarmed into the ambiance the first time he spoke to her was his effort to hide himself away.

She started to sympathize with him, looking at the piece of cloth in which he covered himself mingled with his dusty dark-gray leather attire in a different way. The scent of earth and gunpowder was all around him, and at that sensation, an odd calmness bring her a sort of asylum among the uncertainty.

He didn’t seem a threat like this; surely, she thought, because of the way he was introducing himself again to her, crouched down without any intention that no one but her manage the situation between them from now on. And looking down at him like this though, he wasn’t seemed that huge and terrifying as she perceived the first time they accidentally met. He was medium size, muscular but light, and almost tall as her.

Resting his forearms on his lap, he was holding something, and without hesitation he handed her a canteen, making her lean slightly herself back, wary.

“Don’t stare…” He joked in a soft low tone and accentuating his gaze while looking at her carefully.

She could see him now.

He expressed emotions. His features let her know he meant every way in which he talked to her, lighting up the inner of the hood when the bright intensity of his voice rumbled between them.

She dithered but didn’t look away from him. Even though she couldn’t control the adrenaline at the feel of sense her personal space invaded, and her right hand hesitated before taking the container that he had explicitly searched for her, she didn’t look away, and so was he.

When she held it, she felt its weight confirming that it had liquid inside.

He rested his forearm again on his lap, still crouching and studying every single one of her features of her face.

A slight scar appeared from the line of the scalp and disappeared behind the bandage on the left side of her forehead; it was not the wound for what he brought her with him, but an old one, older as well as the others he knew she had, like those on her arms, legs and the back of her hands. There was a small one over her nose, only distinguishable this close to her, causing him unease the moment he noticed it. Something sharp made it, or maybe a was hit; he couldn’t know. Better never know that.

He looked her eyes, certifying that they weren’t dark but darker gray with tiny specks of brown in her irises; sharp eyes for a fierceness gal, it really suited her. Like if they were made to just aim at the mere sight and blaze anybody with them, just like she tried to do with him the night he had found her, that night when he saved her. The night she didn’t remember... Her eyelashes seemed to delineate the shape of them, barely curling at their edges with a distinctive contrast that made her suntanned small cheeks highlighted their dauntlessness, making them look brighter and more expressive every time she blinked and looked at him trying to figure out what he was thinking.

As if he could ever know now…

Then, he returned to her lips, dry by dehydration but full…

And he snapped out, making a slight gesture to encourage her to drink.

“Trust me, it's just water,” He said trying to sound casual and keeping a personal tone. “You need to re-hydrate.”

His voice wasn’t that one that seemed irreverent and even squeaky now. It sounded somehow softer when he talked to her. Maybe because of the closeness, maybe because she _was wrong_.

“You're staring…” She marked making him noticed it. Her voice deep and tense like a murmur.

He seemed to smile, the module emulated something subtle like a chuckle when he reciprocally looked at her more thoroughly.

“I'm returning the favor.” He justified as a practical joke before rose up without further explanation and walk away.

She barely startled by the sudden movement and watched him go to one of the cabinets near the entrance to the tent and search for something while Ghost stayed with her a few steps away.

That much she seemed to have been absorbed observing him in his every detail that she had completely forgot what was terrorizing her some minutes ago and was still lashing out over the huge shed of steel over their heads.

So she gave a hesitant look at him that it was still searching inside the cabinets minding his own business, then looking at the canteen and opening it in a quick movement, sniffing suspiciously first with a tentative sip afterwards, confirming it was water, and then began to swallow greedily not giving herself time to regain her breathe at the needy sensation to satiate her thirst; the cold liquid dripped from the corners of her mouth while she drank desperate, and then stopping abruptly with a hacking cough when her body force her to take a minute to breath.

“Wow, wow, easy! You're going to choke!” She heard him come back quickly on his tracks with something under his left arm and the intention to reach her with his right hand.

It stressed her to see him suddenly approached her again, invading one more time her personal space while she could feel the continuous coughing making her throat burst and not letting her breathe well enough.

“I know you don’t wanna me near, but just-- Lemme try something to help you out with that cough, yeah? Promise I won’t do anything stupid...” He asked with kind of urgency.

She surveyed again his movements under an apprehensive gaze, following carefully the motion of his arm whilst trying futilely keep her eyes open, and in just a moment and letting him get close enough to reach her, she felt his hand stroking her back gently, making the unpleasant sensation on her throat eventually disappear.

When the soreness in her throat was less awful, his hand continued to stroke her back in relief.

She shrugged and give none resistance as she watched he slowly crouched back again close to her and keep stroking her back with careful moves as he looked at her expecting that she may tell him that it was enough. But she didn’t do that. She just let him. 

With eyes still red and somewhat tearful for coughing, and when she managed to feel better, she looked at him again with some hesitancy, dumbfounded at the simple caress been enough to calm her, making her shiver.

“See...? Better!” He said softly in a cheerful tone, and she’d perceive something like a smile on him as she watched him to stand up again and extend something to her.

“Doc told me she had some clothes somewhere around here, so... all yours!” He added, insisting with a light gesture.

She looked at him puzzled and then reach the clothes giving subtle and wary glances to him, expecting any reaction that mean she couldn’t have them, but al last, realizing there was none. Her fingertips brushed the fabric of those clothing, somewhat rustic and thick to the touch in the moment she put her hands on it, and when she finally had them, felt the slightest of the motions of his hands letting her have the cloths with the sole intention to just give them to her freely.

“While you were sleeping, she came back just to check how’s everything going, but you didn’t even notice. You must’ve been pretty tired, don’t you!” He stood next to her, watching his gestures as he explained and have her attentive gaze on him. “See? You needed to sleep after all...” He added with cheerful expression and teasing her with his hands on his waist.

She gave him a look, arching an eyebrow in puzzlement before he turned his back at her and chuckled softly as he reciprocated with fleeting glances the tension between them while walking to the door followed closely by Ghost. Before leaving, he turned to her like he was recalled something important.

“If you hurry up, I can show you where the water you drank came from, so... don’t be shy and look for me when you’re done. I'll be outside.” He excused himself hesitating with already a foot outside the tent.

She could listen his footsteps walking away first, and almost immediately, hear him going back and poke his head again inside the tent, confusing her. “Oh! And huh... I almost forgot it! The boots are at the end of the cot, right underneath: put them on. You will need them” There was a brief silence between them. She didn’t say anything. “OK-- Right-- so...I huh... I’ll let you dress.”

And then, he disappeared.

She waited a moment to be sure that effectively he had left, and from time to time, listen what was still going on outside with that frightful noise — _a storm_ , as Ghost had called it—; each blast that extended through the roof’s shelter, made her feel the heaviness of being finally alone, starting to feel nervous.

She returned her attention to the clothes in her lap, examining again the fabric that, despite its rusticity, was something comfortable and soft; _warm_ was the sensation she had, like if it was the first time she ever touched something like that. At that feeling, she gave a hint of a smile.

 

Cayde walked away with a carefree pace and giving a few glances back to the tent just to be sure that all the effort he had made hadn’t been useless and she just decided to make her own way out of there. After all, isn’t his task take care of her? So...

He looked back at his path, passing by some other fellas of the company and waving at them in a goofy mood just like someone who know somebody for ages; _The Crew_ , as they call themselves as a matter of self-recognition or sense of belonging; all wearing military clothes and cargo, prepared to have a tough live in The Wilds in which survival was essential.

Some of them were wearing raincoats and hoods after coming back from a reconnaissance from the outside at the end of their shift for this day, taking shelter from the storm that was still raging in the whole area. The sun was about to set on the horizon within an hour or less, and this weather would accelerate the dusk for sure.

Almost 50 persons between women and men, including Carina, Andal and himself had been travelling through the wasteland before reach this place. There weren´t many now, but they were not so long ago...

5 years had passed since Andal Brask found him and their journey began.

He remembered it as if it had been yesterday when he was first rezzed, that day in which he learnt about what happened to the world; the day he decided to start walking and escape the dangers of The Wilds and try to find someone who was still alive.

The day Andal found him, disoriented and walking through a landscape of desert plains without any single weapon to defend himself with and a bag hanging on his shoulder. He remembered that day as his first day alive, and not alone.

Since then, they walked together. Escaping from the slaughter of the Fallen and the edges of the menacing shadows. Fighting, running, hiding just to avoid conflicts or don’t attract any unwelcoming attention. _Surviving_ , like anyone they found in the road…

Dr. Carina Bright was one of the few people he met long after that.

She is, with some of The Crew, one of the few survivors of the tragic siege executed by the dreadful House of Devils at the border of the continental north-coast in the always turbulent contested zone, and known with the unforgettable title as _The Fall of Antigua_ ; a city that was one of the most large and crowded settlements that existed in that region, at least, for 50 years. 

But now it was History, and its fall, _a tragedy_.

He also remembers that as if it had been yesterday.

Ominous towers of smoke and the thunderous blast of explosions in the distance emerging from the horizon like an in coming storm that would obliterate the whole city in an instant, and legions of Devils, crowded against the destroyed walls, wiping out anything they had in their path with the ruthless virulence of Death.

He does remember that. As well as the screams...

They both him and Andal fought in the very end of the siege, when they achieved to reach the city through a thousand of Devils, fighting with all their might to try to save whoever it was still alive.   

Both never forgot what they saw and what happened there. Death and ruin, and innocent people being slaughtered in cold blood.

Since that time, they’ve had been roaming along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and wandering through The Desert sometime after that, searching for safe haven while looking for a place to call home, seeking the embrace of safety to escape from the deathly grasp of the Fallen.

Since that moment, the exodus began to decrease in number, and within the passing days, Death was finally haunting them.

They drew a path towards an unknown destination, to an uncertain present, and an eerie forthcoming.

But even though, _they endured_.

With some painful losses on the run when they tried to get out from hostile territory, they gradually became friends within the group. Comrades, _family_.

Eventually, settlements started to coming out on the road while they were crossing the mainland, hiding in the mountains or the underground to escaped any possible attack. They started to help them in order to survive, savaging anything they could in exchange for supplies; weapon, armor, ammo, _food_ ; and also, warning them of the dangers of going further northwest so could avoid at any costs to go near to the coastline of the corrupted European sea, and in return, dwellers gave them sanctuary.

However, just as there was always danger, there was also _fear.._.

He still remembers those drained sorrowful faces, wrapped in worn traveling clothes, observing them both Andal and him with suspicion at the discovery of their true nature. Angered, they accused them with raging shouts that to follow them, it would end leading them all to an inexorable death.

History wasn’t always about who’s the good and the bad guy, and what was the right and the wrong way to do things.

When fear reigns among everything you cross your paths with, History ends up to be the Judge, no matter if whatever happened is long before you could ever know what was all this about, or even if you could do something about it.

 _‘They’ll betray y’all!’_ , He remember they bellowed. _‘They’re the plague that destroyed the world! Our planet suffered this for those traitorous creatures!’_ , He recalls one of that unpleasant accusations, one of the lightest but still the most bitter ones he remembers as the days passed and the path crossed with different types of nomadic people or settlements. All of them escaping from the zone that they began to know as the _EDZ_.

He barely remembers what really happened or how all of this began; all this death and destruction, how everything that breaths must do the impossible in order to see another day, and so on. There are only memories that haunted him fleetingly at night when he pretends to fall sleep, as if he were dreaming awake. Things that happened but seemed impossible, or even didn’t know if he had really lived them.

But he does know why those rumors exists anyway. And how they began.

He knows exactly who that poor folks were talking about. Written all in their exhausted faces was the struggle of the oppressed people that were scared and haven’t the slightest of hopes.

He knows those stories.

About those ones she was talking about...

Those ‘ _like him’_.

Nothing could be more untrue...

Those who instigated that nefarious tales about slavery and subjugation. The true bad guys on their own right.

All of them dead now, because o _thers_ killed them.

It was a desperate move to prevent human extinction on this desolate planet, he could guess. So desperate but meaningful that made them worthy of being called the _not-so-bad_ guys for some, still suspicious on if this wasn’t going to be the same with another faces, but for some others the true heroes and the rightful defenders of Humanity.

Those, who rose up to defend the almost extinct Mankind to bring Justice and Order. To be the rightful _lords_.

Still, nothing was certain about their whereabouts and heavens knows where they are now. Younglings could understand their tales like a scary bedtime’s stories, and the not so young ignore their existence like if someone was telling them a fable.

But, one thing he may possibly know.

He believes to know where they could be going.

There were also rumors that made them mobilize for this campaign. Tales that spread by word of mouth to everyone who went from settlement to settlement, until it reached their ears.

They may be listening to _his_ call, in the same way he and Andal can listen it. In the same way their ghosts tell them they hear it too.

 _The Light_.

The road lies ahead, and they must follow it.

A hope to survive in a broken world, walking through an arduous road, uphill, among the most hostile mountains of this planet. _To the_ _last refuge_.

 

He walked greeting several people as he passed by until reach a small room, next to the huge entrance of the shelter where there was a communication cabin. He searched between the cabinets for the same raincoat that the rest of the group wore, hanging one on his forearm after examining it that it was in perfect condition.

In his way back, he spied the next tent in where Carina was attending an old man. Seeing her in her duties as a doctor and taking care of the old folk’s arm, which fortunately, she had been able to save from amputation, assured him that it was possible she might be stayed occupied a while longer than she expected, giving him time to help the girl regain more confidence about this new environment, or him.

He quicken his steps followed by Ghost at an anxious pace when Andal's whistle in the distance attracted his attention. He was in the corner of the huge shelter, the closest thing to a workshop, counting the ammunition along with five other fellas that was restoring what appeared to be a pair of old trucks.

“Hey, pal! Where’re you goin’!” He shouted joking from afar gesturing with both arms raised.

“To see the rain, bud! I’m feeling kinda nostalgic… I remember you just lemme in charge sayin’ to me you’d be right back. Well, I’m handling this myself!” He answered in a playful mood while walking.

He heard Andal's cackle in the distance, in addition to the humorous shouting of those who accompanied him. Whistles and laughing also resounded in echoes through the place even though the noisy rain.

“Don’t feel so smug, friend!” One of them added, lighthearted.

“She'll kick your ass again!” He listened another one say.

Cayde chuckled, pacing up. He was quite aware about that possibility.

A few meters before reach the tent, he lowered his strides and observed with some cautious if there was movement inside.

He could see the silhouette of the girl moving through the resting place with some impatience, coming and going in the small space as if she was expecting at any time to someone to appear.

He averted the eyes then, trying not to look like a nosy guy or a creepy dude for stay in there and appear to be spying on her. With hesitancy then, he made a sound like if he was clearing his throat from where he stood and stray his sight for modesty.

“Don't be shy and come say hi! I'm right here…” He said. His lighthearted voice gave the effect expected as he could hear the girl's hesitant steps approaching the entrance.

He moved away a little and turned his back to the tent when he heard them, just to give her a small space to not made her feel invaded, eyeing the place’s movement and shifting where he was standing while his ghost was coming and going all around him moving her blades with some sort of excitement.

Then, when he heard the brush of the tent’s door, turned almost immediately.

She was finally presentable. It was lucky that Carina had that pair of cloths and, fortunately, were her size; a gray cargo pants, black boots and a thick black sweater sheltered her from the cold humidity of that rainy day, and the most important think was she finally was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt more in line with her complexion, the cuff of the sleeves peeking out a little beneath the wool. She even seemed to have had some time to twist her chestnut long wavy hair in a loose twist over her left shoulder due the bandage in her head, and now she was outside the tent looking around wary, listening all the noises around her like something unknown and possible threating, fingers tugging the inside of the sweater’s sleeves while shrugging, suspicious of every one of the movements she detected.

With hesitant steps, she shorted the distance between them meeting his eyes as she approached him, keeping some of her space with apprehensive eyes while minding her surroundings. The place was bigger than she could spied from inside.

“So…! This is The Base-- _Our home_ , at least, for a few more days. In the meantime, feel free to go wherever you want,” He wave his arms as an introduction to the whole place before turn to her and short the distance with two leisurely steps towards her. “It’s your home too now…” He added in a reliable tone, eyes seeking hers.

She met his gaze at that statement, and something rustled in the air.

And when he noticed it, Cayde faltered and recalled the true intention of all this. “Oh, huh-- sure! I brought you this…” He extended with both arms the dark raincoat with playfulness, making her waver a little at the motion, puzzled for the sudden offer. “This will help you with that fear of yours ‘bout storms. C’mon! Put it on!” He insisted.

She looked suspiciously at the cloak first and then at him twice, leery eyes but timid, attentive to everything until finally felt confident enough to close the gap and run her fingers over the smooth viscous material, knowing that his attention was on the slow motion of her hands. And then, a sudden whistling in the distance surprised her, making her looked back from where it came and then back on him.

“Don’t mind them. They're saying " _Hi_ " in their byzantine but mannish mood.” He said in a carefree tone without taking his eyes off her.

She barely shifted her gaze to the guys laughing in the catwalk from afar, joking with each other while they were looking them in the distance, and then she turned her attention back to him with her expression full of irony.

“I may had lost my memory, but I’m not stupid…” She said with both arched eyebrows that accentuated the expression in her eyes as she slipped the raincoat from his hands and started to put it on slowly. She heard him giggle after that while her sight was blocked by the material, and then, heard him shout in a funny mood something to the group in the distance.

“C’mon guys! You’re making me look bad! What she’d think ‘bout us? Be decent!”

When she finished, she didn't even pay attention to him while examining how she looked; the whole piece of fabric covered her all except from her legs, and she felt clumsy and ridiculously small with that whilst extending a little one of her arms to test its width. The laughter in the distance faded away, and she realized in that moment then that she had all his attention on her again, returning her gaze at him with an inquiring look.

He inspected her for a second and without giving her time to react, grasped the raincoat's hood on her shoulders putting it on over her head with both hands. She froze.

“Perfect! Now, follow me!” He gestured eagerly as he started walking towards the huge entrance a several meters behind them.

When she finally started to pay attention to what was happening around them, her lips relaxed in an expression of wonder.

As she followed him, she could now admire the trails of water falling like thick threads from the height, and a dense curtain of water in the background dominating the landscape wholly, making difficult to see at the distance, dancing and unveiling the figure of the wind while it fell from the gray skies.

At times she looked at him in a mix of disbelieve and wariness while he was still attentive of her following him or not, turning back from time to time as he keenly walked a few steps backwards in a playful mood, and then walk again forward at a short distance but always keeping her close. Every time he looked at her, his eyes lit in an intense bright.

Shy at moments, she noted some curious eyes prying on her like she had a magnet, seeing at the same time how some greeted her guide with some sort of complicity on their gazes while others gave her a kind smile.

She turned just once looking back at the tent, observing that they had walked a relative distance from where they were, and looking out further back she could realize how enormous the structure of the warehouse was; destroyed at the back and buried by a large displacement of land from where some trails of water that it slip between some holes and rocks were entering to the place like natural streams.

Ghost passed in front of her attracting her attention and making her look back again forward to where they are going. Her red and white blades twirling with excitement while giving circles around the girl with her sole bright eye not wanting to lose sight of her.

She followed her with her eyes, curious about her cheerful reactions and almost making her hint a brief smile because of her eagerness. Then, she saw her floated back to her owner, who share his attention then between the curtain of water and her.

“C’mon!” He called her out with enthusiasm, inviting her with his hand extended to her at the edge of the entrance. The light of his vocal module vibrating with intensity. “There’s nothing to be afraid. I promise!”

She gave her brief and cautious looks, and only a few glances to his gloved hand as a suggestion for her to reach him, but for nothing in the world she could take her eyes out the calamitous veil of water in front of them, falling from the rooftops of the shelter and from the howling grey sky with ferocious might.

There was a concrete boulder a few meters ahead under the lashing water that seemed to have a considerable fall; eroded by the edges, probably because events like this that had happened before, exposing the twisted and rusted iron skeleton that it was made.

She then paid attention to the ambiance around her. The sound was different than she had heard the first time. Now it was roar, constant and pleasant, almost like a lullaby.

She took hesitant steps, her heart beating in her chest with thrilling emotion while holding her breath, examining far and wide the effect of the water in front of her. She could feel his gaze contemplating her every expression.

The water was splashing where part of the cascade hit against the concrete, wetting their boots and parts of their clothing as they stood at the gate of the shelter. She seemed captivated, eyes wide-open as she blinked amazed, her eyelashes accentuating her incredulity while she tried to explore every corner of the huge entrance. Open-mouthed in awe, it could be read in her expressions that it was something that she was seeing for the first time, because he saw her genuinely astonished at the same time the small particles of water in suspension beginning to soak her raincoat and the few curls of her hair that jutted out from inside the hood in the contour of her face; on her eyelashes, on her skin.

“This is where the water you drank came from…” He waved approaching her in a gentle and careful tone. She looked back at him, full of astonishment with rosy cheeks and lighted irises. He got dumbfounded.

“This is _rain…_?” It's all she said to him with emotion in her voice, almost humming.

He stood looking at her, feeling while looking into her eyes the same emotion that was growing inside him, observing her pupils moved excited as she wait for his answer expectantly and full of excitement. “Yeah, that’s it! This is rain!” He returned, catching her eagerness.

He looked back at the waterfall and took a few steps, returning a few glances to her with the suggestion she do the same. He extended his right hand towards the curtain of water, wetting just a little his gloved fingers, but enough for the liquid to drip from the glove through the inside of his palm and arm.

“See? Nothin’ to worry about! Just give a try!” He encouraged cheery returning his attention to her.

He saw her eyes light up more, gaping anxiously to feel something that was marveling all her senses and made her perceive a new world of sensations. And with hesitancy first, she walked by his side and extended her arm out of the raincoat at the trails of untamed water.

When her fingers touched the cold liquid, and stifling an exclamation of pleasant surprise, her whole demeanor changed; a radiance cheer adorned all her face with an astonished smile marking her cheekbones, pressing against her chest the wet hand excited to feel the freshness against her skin.

She heard him laugh and turned to him still amazed. “It's cold, isn’t it!” He asked again joyfully.

“Yes!” She answered at once squealing with delight, again extending her fingers more confidently against the current of water. Whimpering every now and then with eagerness when some drops jumped to her face. She heard him laugh several times more, before returning her gaze to him.

“Do you like it?” He asked eagerly trying to catch her attention and narrowing the distance. “Look! My hand got soaked too!” He added as he showed her his hands, the glove of his right-hand dripping.

“Yeah, your hand is soaked!” She said giddy and hesitating to take his hand, but then looking back in ecstasy to the waterfall, intoxicated by an overwhelming sense of joy.

Her happiness mingled with the sound of the water against the ground and the roaring of the waterfall as he crossed his arms and gave her a few glances when she reached and feel the force of the water rushing from the roof through her fingers. And when he noticed, he was wholly drawn to her.

Then, she returned her gaze to him. Shinny smile all over her face, radiant cheeks and bright eyes. Her full expression was different now, vivid and colorful.

He kept looking her, and she hesitated when she noticed it.

It didn’t pass too long in which they keep holding their gazes that a distant rumble surprised her, leaving her tense in place.

She could see it, even though the water.

A light first, luminous roots scattering across the sky in a matter of seconds later, and then a mighty roar.

He watched her waver, and the glowing expression of a few seconds ago almost disappear.

“That's a lightning…” He pointed at her in a calm tone. “That's what woke you up before.” He searched her eyes, hoping to see the curve of her smile again.

She remained watchful looking through the veil of water, blinking nervously at the sight of another of those roaring blazes and the ominous sound that followed rumbling throughout the roof and walls of the shelter at the same time some whistles and laughter were heard in the background in which they seemed to rejoice in that blasting sound.

“A _storm_?” She asked doubtfully turning back at him, accentuating her expression with arched eyebrows.

“Yup, exactly...” He replied contemplative.

He briefly noted that now she looked at the scene with a sense wonder, as if she could see for the first time and clearly that something that was frightening her in the past, now was the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

The forest in the distance, the mountains beyond the horizon, and the imposing thunderclouds where the lighting danced in the highs at moments releasing its beautiful ferocity.

They remained silent only contemplating the sounds of the curtain of water and the raging fury of the air filling the world. He didn’t say or did a thing while stay in this quite but comfort impasse. He just… stood…  _there_. Right beside her.

And then again, he watched her slightly from the corner of his eyes. She was tall enough to reach a little more over his shoulders. Motionless, but joyful of what she was contemplating with first-time eyes. And he kept looking at her in quiet.

Slowly, the force of the falling water diminished, and after a few minutes, sunlight shone timidly against the distant mountain range, fanning the everlasting gray-blue that it possessed and the emerald green mixed with the earthy shade of the trees in the distant forest a couple of kilometers down the road.

Then again, her gaze was filled with wonderment of watching the spectacle of a thousand colors.

She stifled an exclamation of amazement and smiled again.

“ _A rainbow_.” Ghost was heard floating towards her from her right side, calling her attention. “ _It's a phenomenon generated by an effect called a "prism" that consists in the decomposition of light through the water molecules,_ ” She looked at her even more amazed, and returned the attention to the enormous arc of colors that could be seen appearing in the distant skies. “ _When it rains, usually when the storm subsides, we can see something like this. Raindrops manage to capture light during the fall from the air mass, and this is when this unique visual effect is generated_.”

“It’s beautiful!” She marveled with a glowing smile.

He had now his gaze fully on her. “Yes, I know...” His voice was low and intended.

When she turned her attention to him with curiosity, she realized he was watching her closely, and immediately looked down at the soggy sweater cuffs. Her cheeks burning. Why is it his expression was so close right now?

Another moment passed while she could feel his gaze over her, and at the same she was trying to focus in something else to distract herself, her hands toyed with the cuffs of her sweater and T-shirt, and unconsciously, with her fingertips brushing a soft scrape on them. She rolled up her sleeves slowly recognizing the marks that made Carina gave her that condescending look the first time she who woke up here, and somehow falling into the account she was unaware of her origins and identity. Uncertainty dimmed her eagerness.

“Hey… What’s wrong?” She heard the voice of who accompanied her with some concern.

She didn’t look up as she examined the marks, passing the tips of her fingers over them, sensing the regenerated skin in her small wrists.

“I don’t know who I am, or where I came from…” She whispered with trembling voice. “And I don’t know if I ever will know…”. Dejected, she noticed the restlessness of who was at her side now turning to her.

“Me neither…” She heard him answer in a longing tone.

She rose her gaze taken by surprise and found him looking at those marks intently before fixing his gaze on her again.

“Remember when I told you being rezzed not recalling anything at all from my previous life?” He inquired in a quiet tone. She nodded. “I never knew who I was before… _all_ this; I have… vague ‘memories’, or I think they are mine; like flashes, like those lighting you saw,” He pointed looking at the horizon, then turn to her with the pupils shining more intensely. “First, I was worried, desperate because I couldn’t understand what was going on and why I was alive again and there wasn’t anybody in miles wide who were, or why I couldn’t remember anything though; Then ... I was afraid, terrified… because I was alone, but ...” He faltered, his voice muffled. He looked down for a moment and then returned his attention back to her. Her face broke in an expression of anguish. “but then, I started walking, ‘til Andal found me, and then--"

“‘ _Here you are’ ..._ ” She concluded, surprising him. He noticed that her expression recovered a little of that same light from before, shining more and more.

“Yeah, ‘ _here I am_ ’ _..._ ” He said in a candid tone and staring at her, seeing that again, her lips began to simulate a shy smile.

There was again that same rustle he felt some moments ago, and with the intention to keep cheering her up, he kept talking. “Like you did! Look at you! Here, losing that fear of yours about the storms! I told ya you’re fearless, girl! You can beat down whatever that’s on your way!” He shook his arms in a playful mood while Ghost started again to twirl around her emulating that same eagerness.

And since it had stopped raining, he could hear, because she restrain herself, a subtle giggle. A genuine one, so soft and delightful that he can’t believe it…

“That's all that matters, don’t you think? To keep walking…” He added again, cheerfully and trying to gain her eyes on him again.

“Yeah, I guess so…” She replied timidly with a soft voice. There was a pleasant silence as she examined her wrists again.

“ _Then I_ _suppose that ‘She’ isn’t afraid of us anymore and is now more comfortable, is that correct?_ ” Ghost was heard intrigued, moving her small blades attentively as she approached her.

“Yes ...” She replied shyly giving her brief glances.

“ _Then ‘She’ like us!_ ” Ghost claimed with eager innocence, spinning her blades quickly as she returned her attention to her owner, causing the girl to blush more and hide a grimace on the back of her left hand while looking down.

“Yeah, yeah! Well, _maybe_ , in the meantime, we should stop addressing her as ‘ _She_ ’, and find her a proper name. Don’t cha think, lil’ bud?” He suggested playfully crossing his arms again at his ghost.

“Like you did?” She teased looking up and blushing. Cayde let know in his expressions that was both perplexed and amused.

“Yeah, like I did! Say what, is my name funny to you…?” He said following her game, and the warm light of his voice light up the inside of the hood. She tried to hide a chuckle looking down.

“No, is not…” She just replied in a quiet murmur still smiling and blushing, at the same time she was well aware of his resolve to make her look him back again. “It’s… fine…” she added, hearing a low chuckle for an answer.

“Who gave you your name?” She asked a few seconds later, intrigued, raising her eyes again to him with a shy smile. Exactly as he wanted and finding what she expected, his all attention on her.

“Andal, because I was so lost and stranded that I didn’t even bother to see among my stuff what my damn name was, or at least if there was hint of it. I’d repeat his exact same words when he made me realize that but better don’t! I don’t wanna make the ol’ man look like a grumpy guy or make myself look like as thick as two planks I could be.” He teased, making her smile more. There were laughs of complicity for a few seconds, and then--.

“ _Cayde_ ...” Her voice was soft like a rumor, paralyzing him in place.

He stared without being able to take his eyes off her.

“You found me ...” She stated with a quiet but deep voice, pressing her lips in a nervous smile, and then extending her right wrist uncovered to him. “Would you give me a name…?”

He was mystified, speechless, getting drawn directly into her eyes.

“ _Please…?_ ” She added in a soft plea.

He turned his gaze to her uncovered wrist then and hesitated a few moments before taking her small wrist carefully with both hands, noticing that her skin bristled under his touch. He didn't even have to try to narrow the little distance between them because, at the end, it was she the one who dared to do it.

Now, there were in the same space.

He examined her marks, barely caressing his fingers over them at the thought that the slightest rose will scare her away.

At that time of the evening, the sky was beginning to be dyed between deep blue, purple, cyan and magenta while the dusk started to cover it all with its slumber motionlessness. But he could see her perfectly, just as daylight. And when he looked up and meet her gaze, her dark-grey eyes were being completely insightful of what he would say.  

“Hmm ... there's a 2 and a L, and also an S” He spoke illuminating both with the golden light of his vocal chords. He murmured to himself several times toying with words, making the glow he emitted stay only between them. Until then, finally, something came to his mind.

“ _Tulisse_ …” He whispered like a discovery. He stared with bright eyes, shining with intensity at the sight of her. “Your name is Tulisse” He said only to her ears.

He could see the brightness of his own eyes in hers, and a huge smile drawing all over her face even though the night had fallen long ago.

“Fine by me…!” Tulisse said with joy. The smile lit her face, making the expression in her eyes shine with a shy lively laugh. Cayde found himself being caught up in her emotion and let out a laugh.

“Well then, Tulisse. Welcome home!” He reaffirmed cheerier, holding now with his right hand her right wrist, and with his other covering it, getting eager to hear her thrilled laugh for his proposal, and realizing that the gesture of her fingers against his own right forearm was reciprocal as they clung to him.

He got so immersed in her smile, those livid eyes looking at him with such joy that it didn’t have time to notice her free hand settling over the one in which he covered her right wrist where her baptism mark was. They stayed together in a warm clasp, remaining just like that for a few moments until, almost at the same time and with reluctance to lose contact, they let go each other.

 

The night already covered the land, and the cold after the rain reigned everywhere and inside the shelter while several bonfires started to being light up to protect the inhabitants of the refuge from the chillness and the darkness.

By that time, they walked in complicit silence towards the heat of the fire a few meters inside the refuge while Ghost called her with enthusiasm by her name, the name he had gave her. Her presence was heard among the crowd now, letting him admire her expression at the feeling of being called for a name as if it was looking at the rain for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all those who followed and liked these first 4 chapters of my fic so far, and thanks again to those who, despite some little grammar or spelling mistakes that could have been, continued to read it; I know the mistakes are there, and I promise to work hard to prevent them in future updates. For that reason, I apologize again to the English speakers who read it or had read it and maybe they were a bit disappointed at the moment of being immersed in the reading, finding these little annoyances in the flow of the narrative.
> 
> I am working on my way for now without any beta and nothing more than my own intuition to detect the errors or typos with the level of comprehension of English language I can handle as well as my understanding of what I’ve had studied in the past years, in addition of the knowledge of have made translations in the past just for fun.
> 
> So, if in the future, if I find someone who is interested to see how this story goes to unfold and enjoys it and wants to collaborate so its narration can be polished and correct, wanting to be enjoyed at its fullest, help will be of course welcomed!
> 
> In the meantime, I promise to give my best so the experience of you all reading this can be agreeable!
> 
> Now, I personally want to thank the review of a guest who, not only liked how I write but also was happy to see my fic not only on this site but on another platform as well. So, hey, Stranger! Thank you very much for your supportive words, and for being the very first to leave your comment! You don’t know how happy you made me writing those brief but sincere words. I felt rewarded knowing that my writing, somehow and despite the mistakes, could like to someone as well for those who dare to click on the link and start reading. Again, thank you very much for your review, it is really really appreciated. For you and for others like you, I promise I’ll give my best to improve my flaws when writing and editing in English is involved, as well as spelling and grammar.
> 
> From now on, I would like to clarify again and repeat, that many of the issues that I’d write about—or at least, I would like to develop further this point— may contain very sensitive subjects that may be sensitive to the general audience. So, please, you’re being advised from now on if you keep reading.
> 
> I do not want, much less, it is my intention to hurt the susceptibility of anyone or make anybody have a bad time while reading.
> 
> My deepest desire is, through the words I write, help others to go through difficult times in order to rediscover themselves portrayed as fictional characters, finding a way to feel better and complete again, and a way to face our everyday in our lives.
> 
> If something that could be written here disturbs you or bothers you, I sincerely apologize. This story, as well as every piece of fiction, fanfiction or original work, is made to reflect our experiences as a way of expressing the cathartic nature of what ails us, to seek what we want to express when we cannot do it with our own words or voice.
> 
> Once again and hoping that you will join me through this journey in which I ventured when I first met Destiny and decided to work on this, I will see you in the next update. I love you all guys! I wish you the best!


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